Taiwan Pulls ‘Yani Neko’ from Streaming Over Real Cigarette Brand Names

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A thread on 5ch’s Nandemo Jikkyo G board lit up over news that Yani Neko (“Nicotine Cat”), the anime known for its cat character’s smoking scenes, has had its streaming halted in Taiwan. The reason wasn’t the smoking depiction itself, but that real cigarette brand names like Mevius and Setta appeared directly on screen, which was deemed effectively tobacco advertising.

The thread initially misreported the story as being about Hong Kong before getting corrected, and posters also brought up examples like JoJo’s Jotaro having his cigarette swapped for candy in overseas releases, sparking a divided debate over how far content regulation should go.

4Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:41:11.21ID:Hmnmo0/P0
Fair enough — this kind of thing wouldn't fly on Japanese terrestrial TV these days anyway.
Though yeah, they should at least zone/age-restrict it properly.
55Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:58:59.32ID:rRmZ8TFq0
>>4
Overseas it's streaming-only anyway, right?
Japan's basically the only place that'd air something like this on regular TV.
16Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:48:46.56ID:gNQIfKl80
It's Hong Kong, not Taiwan.
And the reason isn't that the cat smokes — it's that showing the actual cigarette brand got ruled as advertising.
31Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:52:55.95ID:xeIKBIc90
>>16
Huh, I see.
So that's a thing.
Smoking itself isn't the problem then.
Well, guess that makes sense.
84Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:17:46.10ID:kPhcxjFQ0
>>16
No, it's Taiwan.
At least read the news properly before replying.
119Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:28:01.09ID:nWhbzch20
>>16
So Zhongnanhai (a Chinese cigarette brand) would've been fine, then?
20Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:49:44.25ID:TD6YU4b60
"Yaku Neko" (i.e. swap "nicotine cat" for "drug cat")
24Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:50:20.51ID:JLk9EmyWM
Seems like the smoking depiction itself is what's out.
By that logic, shouldn't the same reasoning apply to those guys smoking behind the supermarket too, not just Yani Neko?
26Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:51:01.30ID:f06lrhcH0
>>24
True.
I mean, there must be tons of other shows with smoking scenes too.
29Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:52:24.32ID:U6/o1TLJ0
>>24
Seems like it only got flagged because real brand names like Mevius were clearly shown, which counted as tobacco advertising.
30Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:52:39.08ID:t82KcHRK0
>>24
Sanji's had his cigarette censored/regulated in various countries too, for that matter.
36Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:53:34.58ID:lJpX/2qW0
So what are the free-speech warriors gonna do about this one?
40Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:54:41.42ID:qhHxf5+Z0
>>36
Freedom of expression only goes as far as not becoming a social harm.
And this one's flat-out harmful.
57Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:59:17.31ID:gNQIfKl80
>>36
Didn't people rage and demand boycotts over the male-otaku fan portrayals in Chiramune and Nidiga (fan nicknames for two other anime)?
There's always some double-standard jerk who sneers when it's someone else's problem but flips out the second it's personal.
37Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:53:36.07ID:ve4lyxls0
>>26
Overseas, Jotaro's smoking scenes get either mosaic-censored or swapped out for candy.
39Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:54:40.42ID:KVDG+Q+T0
>>37
Well, he's a minor, after all.
98Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:21:23.41ID:DQQ6bxWY0
>>37
If Jotaro delivers his big catchphrase and then starts licking a piece of candy, that turns it into a comedy anime.
44Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:56:02.67ID:Mq2n6Py80
It's not that the smoking depiction itself is the problem — it's that showing real cigarette names amounts to actual advertising for those cigarettes, that's why it's not allowed.

> Tobacco products and brand names are shown repeatedly and clearly, raising suspicion that it constitutes tobacco advertising
https://www.zakzak.co.jp/article/20260819-J7S2SLO62VH7ZIEXOIJ2AE5BAM/
54Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:58:36.26ID:sHxiGwS90
>>44
So that thing manga always does, calling Twitter "Twister" or some lame pun like that — turns out it actually serves a real purpose.
49Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:57:15.04ID:pzhJ2s8X0
Doesn't it say Hong Kong?
52Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 10:58:25.32ID:+87SlZjD0
>>49
It says 台灣 (Táiwān) right there.
台灣 means Taiwan.
68Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:10:53.74ID:pMorLqpw0
If they're shown puffing away on a real cigarette brand looking like it's delicious, yeah, that's just straight-up advertising.
78Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:14:21.94ID:9+ThwCWT0
>>68
Seriously, she does look like she's enjoying it.
81Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:17:14.30ID:TwQAsgTo0
Well, of course it'd get treated as an ad for Mevius and Setta.

89Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:19:27.14ID:O2o2HmB+0
That's just dumb.
Everyone should already know Japanese common sense doesn't fly overseas.
91Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:19:51.82ID:ARdHnTBR0
>>84
It literally says "Taiwanese media reported that this happened in Hong Kong."
96Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:21:03.05ID:eRtH8ErI0
>>91
No, that's wrong.
This is about the anime's streaming getting halted in Taiwan.
99Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:21:38.08ID:r6XAS2640
>>91
It's about the anime broadcast getting cancelled in Taiwan.
The Hong Kong thing is old news.
123Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:29:35.03ID:l8VaB9j7M
Sorry, but do beastfolk characters really need to have such sexy bodies?
124Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:30:18.91ID:x49CM6a+0
>>123
There's no reason not to.
164Anonymous2026/08/21(金) 11:46:18.98ID:mnkhD1V00
>>123
Otherwise they'd have gone extinct by now.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Nandemo Jikkyo G) thread “[Sad News] Yani Neko Gets Flooded with Complaints in Taiwan and Banned from Broadcast lolololololololol“.

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