BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach – 12 August 2020 – The anime “A Whisker Away”, also known as “Wanting to Cry, I Pretend to Be a Cat”, was premiered on June 18, 2020, and streamed in China through Xigua Video, Douyin and Toutiao. It is another Xigua Video simultaneous global streaming with Netflix after the BBC Series Dracula. It is reported that the film is available to paying subscribers on the above platforms.
“A Whisker Away” is co-directed by famous Japanese directors Junichi Sato and Tomotaka Shibayama. It is a fantasy of the young girl Miyo Sasaki nicknamed “Muge”. She finds a mask that would turn her into a cat. As a cat, she becomes the intimate friend of the boy she secretly loves, but she cannot turn back into a human being. So the boy embarks on an adventure to help Muge turn back into a human being.
The film was formerly scheduled to premiere theatrically in Japan on June 5, 2020，but was cancelled due to COVID-19. Finally, it was simultaneous premiered online on Xigua Video and Netflix instead.
According to a responsible person of Xigua Video, as a platform available with a wealth of animation content, Xigua Video previously introduced such works as “Fireworks”, “A Silent Voice” and “Tokyo Godfathers”. He added, Xigua Video will continue to provide users with more diversified, better and longer video content. In addition to animated films, the platform has been bringing in other genres successively.
“Dracula”, one of BBC’s annual masterpieces, streamed on Xigua Video and Netflix simultaneously on January 4, 2020. It was also the first film streamed simultaneously on a Chinese video platform with Netflix.
“Dracula” was produced by Hartswood Films, co-presented by BBC One and Netflix and distributed globally by BBC Studios. The production team came from the original crew who gave us “Sherlock”, the acclaimed English series, including screenwriters Mark Gatiss and Steven Moffat and producer Sue Vertue.
Phil Hardman, the senior vice president of commercial strategy for BBC Studios Asia said, “We are honored to bring this latest British masterpiece to the Chinese audience through Xigua Video. ‘Dracula’ gathers together the best actors and top creative teams in the industry. While striving to enrich the character image, they also refine the storyline and production, hoping to bring refreshing feelings to the audience. China’s online video industry is developing rapidly. Its pace and scale have shocked the world. Through partnerships with Xigua Video, we hope to reach a wider audience and explore new cooperation models.”
In addition, Xigua Video has entered in-depth partnerships with many well-known documentary manufacturers, such as BBC Studios and Discovery, in the forms of co-production, content production and copyright cooperation. “Primates”, a natural science documentary, was exclusively available on Xigua Video and Toutiao on July 31. It is reported that this is another high-quality popular science content co-produced by Xigua Video and BBC Studios after “Hubble: The Wonders of Space Revealed”.
About Xigua Video
Xigua Video is one of China’s most popular video-sharing platforms that enable users to discover, enjoy and share a wide range of video stories, both short-form and long-form.
