If you’ve ever checked out Chinese animation, you’ve likely encountered a 3D hero cultivating spiritual energy to become immortal while delivering flying kicks. Although the donghua industry has grown rapidly, Chinese users are starting to feel tired of the same repetitive formula. A recent discussion on Xiaohongshu sparked debate about the huge narrative gaps local animation studios continue to ignore.

The conversation revealed collective frustration with the near-total dominance of Xuanhuan and Xianxia genres, traditional Chinese fantasy focused on cultivating powers and martial arts. Most participants agreed that any proposal outside this mold is ridiculously scarce. Among the strongest demands was the overwhelming lack of productions designed for the female audience. While character designs aren’t bad, users noted that women rarely have leading roles or deep development, demanding casts predominantly female where young characters grow realistically, dual-heroine stories, or series centered on yuri relationships.

Fans also compiled a list of genres missing from the market. From everyday life stories, passionate sports narratives with team competitions, to mature police mysteries, pure science fiction, and the popular idol genre. The lack of traditional 2D animation for adult audiences, school stories reflecting real Chinese youth, and classic shonen adventures in 2D fantasy worlds are other gaps the community urgently wants filled.

The term donghua refers to all animation produced in China, a market that has seen massive growth over the last decade thanks to streaming giants like Tencent Video, Bilibili, and iQIYI. Unlike Japanese anime, known for its vast diversity of themes and predominantly 2D animation, China’s industry has focused most of its budgets on 3D CGI productions adapted from successful fantasy web novels, a highly profitable business model that is now showing signs of wear among viewers.

Have you watched any Chinese animation series or do you also feel it lacks variety compared to traditional anime?