Sanrio ends Vivant merchandise tie-up after backlash in China

Sanrio, the Japanese company behind Hello Kitty, ended its merchandise partnership with the spy drama Vivant late Wednesday after criticism in China of the show’s portrayal of Chinese agents, theguardian.com reported. The decision ends a tie-up that put Sanrio characters in costumes from the Japanese television series.

Sanrio said in a post on the Chinese social media platform Weibo that Vivant contained elements inconsistent with its core values, according to the Guardian. The BBC reported that the company apologised and said it would strengthen its review processes for future collaborations. Sanrio said its characters were intended to convey care and connection and that it took the feedback seriously.

Why Vivant drew criticism in China

Chinese state media criticised the depiction as a deliberate smear, the Guardian reported. According to the BBC, Chinese state outlets including CCTV argued that the fictional methods resembled tactics historically used by Japanese troops against Chinese people and that the drama distorted the truth. Those are the outlets’ characterisations of the show.

What Sanrio and TBS said

The partnership had featured Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll dressed as Vivant characters, the BBC reported. That made Sanrio’s characters a focus of the criticism alongside the drama. China’s state-run Global Times warned that associating Hello Kitty with what it called anti-China content could damage the trust the character had built with audiences.

TBS president Masamine Ryuho said Wednesday that Vivant was entirely fictional and was not intended to disparage any particular country, according to the BBC. Sanrio’s announced response concerns its own collaboration and future review process; the company did not give a figure for the partnership’s commercial impact.