Sanrio Cancels VIVANT Collaboration Over Expressions Against Its Philosophy
Sanrio announced on October 29 that it is canceling its collaboration with the TBS drama VIVANT, judging that content related to the tie-in contains expressions that do not conform to Sanrio's corporate philosophy.
1 source 17h ago
Reporting from 1 source: KAI-YOU.
Why it matters
Sanrio pulled a tie-in it had already put on sale in July, and its China subsidiary moved a day before Tokyo, which puts the withdrawal on the criticism the drama's Chinese-affiliated organization drew rather than on the merchandise itself.
Key Facts
- Sanrio announced the cancellation of its VIVANT collaboration on October 29.
- Sanrio said the collaboration content contains expressions that do not conform to its corporate philosophy.
- Sanrio's China subsidiary announced its own cancellation on the night of October 28.
- VIVANT merchandise with Hello Kitty, My Melody and Cinnamoroll went on sale from July 3.
- VIVANT stars Masato Sakai and its second season has aired on TBS since July 2026.
The company is scrapping all initiatives, future projects and promotions. Sanrio's China subsidiary had announced a similar cancellation on October 28.
The collaboration was announced in June 2026, and from July 3 Sanrio sold goods showing Hello Kitty, My Melody, Cinnamoroll and others dressed as VIVANT characters. In its notice, Sanrio said it had received various opinions about the products and apologized for causing concern. The notice did not identify which expressions failed the test.
Sanrio said it has valued compassion and connections through its characters under the philosophy of everyone getting along together, and it will strengthen verification for future collaboration projects. VIVANT stars Masato Sakai and airs on TBS, with Season 2 running since July 2026. Criticism in China centered on Shinshi, a Chinese-affiliated secret intelligence organization in the drama, and an October 4 episode scene in which the group detains and tortures a Japanese intelligence agent.
Written with AI by Yomimono from the 1 cited source below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited. See our editorial policy.
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