According to reports from Hong Kong Business Solutions, Taiwanese streaming platform Animation Crazy has suspended the official distribution of the animation “Yani Neko” by Hong Kong Bibury Animation Studio. The decision came after a letter from Hong Kong’s Department of Health saying the series violated a local ban on online advertising of tobacco products.
The department reportedly notified Animation Crazy of the breach on August 17, and the broadcast was suspended that day. It seems that the main problem is not only the depiction of smoking itself, but also the appearance of the actual brand of cigarettes, such as Japan’s Mevius. Under Hong Kong’s rules, content can be banned if it objectively supports or encourages smoking, regardless of whether the tobacco manufacturer provides sponsorship.
For now, Netflix Hong Kong appears to be unaffected, with anime still available to watch on the platform. However, the department told the South China Morning Post that it had instructed two online streaming platforms to stop distributing the problematic content.
Meanwhile, the Tobacco Cat anime has also caused dissatisfaction at home – Japan’s broadcast ethics watchdog recently censored the animation’s content in response to viewer complaints that the series “depicts smoking and self-administration of drugs.” Although the animation was ultimately deemed within the bounds of creative expression, it still seemed to be censored for its provocative subject matter.