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Sanrio ends Vivant tie-up after criticism in China over the Japanese TV spy drama

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Coverage spectrum

Covered by 4 outlets. No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered it yet.

4 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty, has apologised and ended its commercial collaboration with Vivant, a spy drama produced by the Japanese broadcaster TBS. In a post on Weibo, Sanrio said the show contained elements inconsistent with its core values. The move followed criticism in China, where state media and netizens objected to the series' portrayal of Chinese agents and torture. Chinese media said some of the torture methods shown resembled those Japanese troops used against Chinese civilians in the Second World War.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

  1. Sanrio apologised and ended its collaboration with the Japanese TV drama Vivant.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News, Financial Times

  2. Criticism in China centred on the show's portrayal of wartime history and torture.

    Across the spectrumReported byLeft2Center2See the outletsHide the outlets
    Left
    Bloomberg, The Guardian
    Center
    BBC News, Financial Times

  3. Sanrio said in a Weibo post that the show contained elements inconsistent with its core values.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  4. Chinese state media and netizens called the show's portrayal of Chinese agents a deliberate smear against China.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

  5. Chinese media said some torture methods in the show were similar to those used by Japanese troops against Chinese civilians in the Second World War.

    One outletThe Guardian· Left

How each side tells it

Compare views

Every side present reports that Sanrio apologised and ended its collaboration with the Japanese spy drama Vivant after criticism in China. Left headlines foreground the Chinese outcry and the cut in ties, while center headlines describe the backlash and, in the FT's case, a wider Japan-China spat.

  • the left

    2 outlets

    Left headlines put Sanrio's decision first and describe the Chinese reaction as an outcry or furor, with both left outlets using verbs such as cuts ties and axes.

    Hello Kitty company cuts ties with Japanese spy show after China outcry
    The GuardianLeftAll left-leaning headlines

  • the center

    2 outlets

    Center headlines report the apology and the end of the collaboration after backlash, and the FT frames the dispute as a wider Japan-China spat.

    Hello Kitty maker ends collab with Japanese spy drama after backlash in China
    BBC NewsCenterAll center headlines

  • the right

    No coverage yet

    No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

  • Left2

    Axescondemned

  • Center2

    widely slammedoutrage

  • Right

    Has not covered this story.

In the outlets’ own words

  • Loaded verb

    AxesMore neutral: ends

    Axes implies an abrupt, decisive cut, while the other outlets describe the same decision as ending the collaboration.

    Hello Kitty Owner Sanrio Axes Japan Show Ties After China Furor

    Used byBloomberg (Left)

  • Loaded verb

    widely slammedMore neutral: criticized

    Slammed conveys harsh condemnation, while the reported criticism is described more neutrally elsewhere.

    Vivant, a popular spy thriller, has been widely slammed in Chinese state media and by Chinese social media users for its depiction of…

    Used byBBC News (Center)

  • Sensational language

    outrageMore neutral: criticism

    Outrage describes the audience reaction more strongly than the backlash or criticism reported by the other outlets.

    Sanrio apologises for collaboration with wartime spy thriller that drew outrage over depiction of torture

    Used byFinancial Times (Center)

  • Loaded verb

    condemnedMore neutral: criticised

    Condemned adds moral judgement to the reaction; the other outlets describe it as criticism or backlash.

    …commercial tie-up with a Japanese TV drama after Chinese state media and netizens condemned the show’s “deliberate smears” against China.

    Used byThe Guardian (Left)

Words quoted from someone else (1)Hide the quoted words

Loaded words that outlets reported someone else saying. They show what was said, not how the outlet chose to say it.

  • Loaded modifier

    Quoted

    deliberate smearsMore neutral: portrayal they said was unfair to China

    The word deliberate asserts intent as fact, although it is the wording of the Chinese state media and netizens quoted in the story.

    …Japanese TV drama after Chinese state media and netizens condemned the show’s “deliberate smears” against China.

    Quoted byThe Guardian (Left)

    These are Chinese state media and netizens’s words. The outlets are reporting them.

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Sanrio cutting ties
  • Chinese outcry or furor
  • Chinese state media condemnation
See the 2 headlines from the leftHide the headlines
  • The GuardianLeft

    Hello Kitty company cuts ties with Japanese spy show after China outcry

    Sanrio ends association with TV drama Vivant after China says portrayal of ruthless Chinese agents is ‘deliberate smear’ The company behind the successful Hello Kitty franchise has apologised and ended its commercial tie-up with a Japanese TV drama after Chinese state media and …

    Read at The Guardian (opens in a new tab)
  • BloombergLeft

    Hello Kitty Owner Sanrio Loaded verb“Axes”Axes implies an abrupt, decisive cut, while the other outlets describe the same decision as ending the collaboration.More neutral: endsDisagree with this highlight? Japan Show Ties After China Furor

    Sanrio Co. apologized and scrapped a collaboration with Japanese television drama Vivant after the spy program drew criticism in China over its portrayal of wartime history.

    Read at Bloomberg (opens in a new tab)

From the center

2 outlets

Leads with

  • Sanrio's apology
  • End of the collaboration
  • Japan-China tensions
See the 2 headlines from the centerHide the headlines

From the right

0 outlets

No right-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

  • Left

    First to report

    Bloomberg, Oct 28, 10:55 PM EDT

  • Center

    21 min later

    Its first report, Oct 28, 11:16 PM EDT

  • Right

    No report yet

    From the outlets Mantle follows

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order
  1. BloombergLeftOct 28, 10:55 PM EDT
  2. BBC NewsCenterOct 28, 11:16 PM EDT
  3. Financial TimesCenterOct 29, 2:04 AM EDT
  4. The GuardianLeftOct 29, 4:03 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

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