Mecha Anime AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline Taken Down From Bilibili For Allegedly Insulting China

The currently airing mecha anime AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline has seen controversy in China and has been taken down from the Chinese video and streaming website Bilibili. While there is no official reason as to why, according to 4Gamers, it is allegedly due to the series insulting China.

The anime was taken down shortly after the fifth episode aired this week.

AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline or Kyoukai Senki is a mecha anime taking place in a future where Japan has lost its sovereignty and is controlled and pressed by four major trade factions. The protagonist, Amou Shiiba, must now pilot a mecha called an AMAIM to reclaim and free Japan.

The reason for AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline getting taken down in China is due to episode five where the main characters go up against one of the factions named the “Asian Army”.

The Asian Army is shown oppressing the Japanese people with human trafficking and making citizens disappear. In this episode, they attempt to execute a group of Japanese protestors via firing squad, more or less for the sadistic fun of it before the protestors are saved by the Japanese protagonist.

From what I’ve seen the group is admittedly framed as cartoonishly evil with one of them even having pointy ears like he’s some kind of goblin.

The Asian Army’s uniforms and vehicles are colored Red, molded after traditional Chinese clothing, and use simplified Chinese characters. As a result, some Chinese netizens believe that the series allegedly insults the Chinese through these villain characters. Many netizens especially take ire with the fact that many of the crimes that the Asian army is depicted as committing were inflicted on Chinese citizens by the Imperial Japanese Army in World War II.

AMAIM Warrior at the Borderline is a collaboration being Bandai Namco and animation studio Sunrise, known for making Gundam, Cowboy Bebop, and Love Live.