Later that year we get China, and Moaang’s team up on The Apothecary Diaries Episode 4, a beautiful meeting of minds.

One of the two stunning shows coming out of the 2023-24 Winter Anime season that China participated in, Episode 4 allows him to envelope his intimate storyboards in tandem with Moaang’s overwhelming AD, too which he made up for in numbers. Myoun and Myaang (extra confusing with who’s who now) make up a bulk of the first half of the episode which is centered around Maomao treating Lady Lihua’s poison sickness. When assigned to the task we get clairvoyance into the subtlety of China’s approach. Not much in the way of movement, and the omission of not drawing faces did get some negative flack from Twitter at the time, however it’s made up for in strong drawings. Same with the following scene, one China heavily modified, noticeable by his hands.
Moaang has to be commended for his LO work on this episode.

just great stuff

In spring 2024, China was announced as a director for First Line an omnibus special for Gemstone Creative Label a subsidiary of Toho. There were several festival releases for the short films, but its unknown when it will be available in the west. Imaoka did the character designs. The brief is a struggling animator trying to find his way through a tough schedule for an animated sequence, something I am sure China and his cadre has been through

Later in 2024 China directed Episode 7 of Puniru is a Slime adapted from the manga by Maeda-kun

Given China’s track record of goopy, minimal animation it is no surprise the show attracted him. Once again Imaoka helms the AD with China drawing the storyboards. Moaang, Myang, and ddadang return, with one newer face Shinagiku coming into the fold (they were likely recommended to Moaang through Eri Irei). This probably the most energetic we have managed to see China, and his adaptation to livelier material is always a treat!

The episode starts with some nice pure nearly shadowless drawings, and Imaoka’s AD feels immediately noticeable.



This section is mostly comprised of Shinagiku, and their animation works within China and Imaoka’s confines

ddasang handles the following scenes, with some nice cartoony room running, with a surprising amount of realistic anticipation to some shots, perhaps due to being involved with Toshiyuki Inoue and Kiyotaka Oshiyama on Look Back


That background animation though

Everything between Kotaro and Puniru afterwards seems to be a mixture of ddasang and an unknown artist. Im wondering if its a very NC Myoun given his tendency towards realism. The prayer turn Kotaro does might be a giveaway. This scene also boasts a nice board by China leaving the whole room at an angle that couldn’t possibly be shot in a real house.

Myang’s “romantic” scene is a very stark simple board by China, with cutesy energy, and tons of Imaoka hand deformations, and his weird bird mouth.



The following scene goes to an unknown, but I’m suspecting multiple people in the scene as a sizable style shift happens near the end.

The botched date scene is really well done, with the animators getting the assignment, and again a surprising amount of weighty dimensional movement on 3s near the end
This also highlights the stage play running joke that had been going through the episode

before being more abstract.

The coffee diner scene is really great, with again solid boardings and Eel (Imaoka) kino.



The high upturned chin and mouth is signature Imaoka. The episode finalizes on some nice animation from a believed to be Moaang

they gonna crucify u for saying this lmao

So that is China, one of the more lowkey animators in a world full of action animators, and people who are expected to be able to draw basically anything. His subtle ability to standout makes him revered by few in the sakuga community, and I hope this spotlight does more to make you very aware of him. Moaang, Myoun, Myang, Imaoka, and ddasang are are wonderful, but if weren't for China's boisterous collaborative spirit, that team would not exist.
One of the more unique digital artists/creatives in anime to this day

Solo Leveling is hard af

I can respect this take but GBC is a league below the other two when we consider the actual music and live performances

Subaru & Tomo VAs been on a mysterious hiatus since last July and yet Toei is pushing one live after another smh

i don’t know anything about the lives but i also think gbc has better music. ave mujica has had some good stuff but i didn’t really like anything in mygo. i think the music is also heavily effected by how invested you are in the stories of each show, and overall i just haven’t felt very connected to mygo or ave mujica

I've read it years ago but I forgot where I left off And I We are

they got animators younger than me now

One Piece had a nigga debuting at 17

Ive been rewtaching brotherhood and its crazy how Full Metal Alchemist just blows every other shonen out the water, new gen or old gen. None of them compare.

Hunter x hunter is a good shout tho

Lets just see how Frieren goes

Yandere girls all 2025

I personally got like 8 shonen manga above it but it's great. My main issue with it is that its quite consistent, but it never has a peak that fully resonates with me and elevates the entire thing to the stratosphere like a chimera ant, return to shiganshina or shohoku vs sannoh kogyo.