From October 26~29, 2012, the 5th annual Cartoon and Animation Festival was held in China’s coastal city of Amoy.
I was invited to intend the event as a guest, along with “Mobile Suit Gundam 00,” “Fullmetal Alchemist,” and “Natsuiro Kiseki” director, Mizushima Seiji.

This was director Mizushima’s first visit to China. I’ve been to China more than 20 times myself and I know just how much young people in China love Mizushima’s works, so I was thrilled that I had the opportunity to participate in this event with him.

“This was the first time I took part in an anime festival in China but it was really energetic, just like events in Japan. From young children to adults, all the people who attended were really passionate and I had a lot of fun.”
These were the words from director Mizushima about the event, but what did he think of China’s otaku?
“(My visit to China) really gave me a sense of the universality of having a strong passion for the things you like, and it made me realize that there aren’t any national borders when it comes to the world of otaku.”
To the Chinese otaku who got to spend the two days alongside director Mizushima, this was no doubt an invaluable experience. We felt a lot closer to China the country after spending the time with them, and I’m sure the opposite is equally true too.

Through anime, people all over the world have come to develop an interest in Japanese culture and society. That’s why I feel real human interactions are important now, more than ever.
Making friends overseas is, in my opinion, the most important form of foreign diplomacy for understanding other countries and cultures. The affection you feel towards these friends, in turn, raises your interests and desire to learn more about their country.
I consider all the young people I’ve met in my cultural diplomacy activities to be dear friends. Everything that they teach me, I consider invaluable.
It’s all thanks to anime that Japanese people have been given this opportunity and I can’t wait to see just how director Mizushima Seiji’s works can generate even more such opportunities as they continue to spread to even greater reaches of the world.

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