U17 Comics

{{Infobox company

| name = Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.

| native_name = 北京四月星空网络技术有限公司Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd.

| type = Private

| founded = {{Start date and age|df=yes|2009|04|30}}

| founder = Zhou Jingqi (Yaoqijun), Dong Zhiling, Yu Xianghua

| hq_location = ChinaBeijingDongcheng District 2nd Floor, 77 Cultural and Creative Industry Park, No. 77, Art Museum Back Street

| area_served = China

| products = U17

| parent = bilibili

| website = {{URL|http://www.u17.com}} （As of 2022, the original U17.com domain redirects to Bilibili Comics）

}}

U17.com was founded in 2006 as a small online website for post-80s anime fans to communicate (u17.com.cn). At that time, the founder Zhou Jingqi shared his collection of domestic and foreign comics on the website. In June 2009, U17 received investment from Shanda Network and began commercial operations, and has since transformed into an original comic platform.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=Admin5对话“有妖气”周靖淇：坚持做中国原创漫画 - A5站长网 |trans-title=Admin5 Interview with Zhou Jingqi of 'U17': Committed to Creating Original Chinese Comics. |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304085249/http://www.admin5.com/article/20110104/304976.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} On September 15, 2009, the website began internal testing.{{Cite web |date=2016-10-05 |title=有妖气15日内测 公布中国原创漫画振兴计划！--游戏频道_中华网 |trans-title=U17 Launches Closed Beta on the 15th and Announces Plan to Revitalize Original Chinese Comics! — Game Channel, China.com |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005120203/http://game.china.com/zh_cn/cartoon/news/11038482/20090915/15640691.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} On October 15, 2009, the website was officially launched.

U17 Comics attracted a group of outstanding original comic creators. According to official data from the U17 website, as of February 2012, the site had an average of 8 million daily page views, around 15 million monthly visits, over 6,000 comic titles, and more than 2,000 comic creators. By early 2013, U17 had 3 million registered users and over 20 million monthly visitors.{{Cite web |date=2016-10-05 |title=注意：“有妖气”，非常有人气-钱江晚报 |trans-title=Attention: 'U17' Is Extremely Popular – Qianjiang Evening News |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005232510/http://qjwb.zjol.com.cn/html/2014-03/15/content_2572596.htm?div=-1 |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} The platform claimed to update 5,000 comic chapters each month.{{Cite web |date=2018-07-09 |title=立体式开发造就播放量10亿动画片_财经_腾讯网 |trans-title=Integrated Development Creates Animated Series with 1 Billion Views – Finance, Tencent |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180709011054/https://finance.qq.com/a/20130705/000620.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} In early 2015, U17 held over 60% of the comic market share, offered around 8,000 comic titles, had more than 6 million registered users, and maintained a monthly user base of 20 to 30 million visitors.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=有妖气：“尖兵”的产业链传奇-中国文化报 |trans-title=U17: The Industrial Chain Legend of a 'Vanguard' – China Culture Daily |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304192543/http://epaper.ccdy.cn/html/2015-01/31/content_146367.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

On August 11, 2015, Alpha Group announced the acquisition of 100% equity of Beijing April Star Network Technology Co., Ltd. (the parent company of U17) for 904 million RMB.{{Cite web |date=2017-10-01 |title=奥飞动漫:收购有妖气动漫平台,扩充IP资源,强化产业链_财经_腾讯网 |trans-title=Alpha Animation Acquires U17 Comics Platform to Expand IP Resources and Strengthen Its Industry Chain – Finance, Tencent |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001213950/http://finance.qq.com/a/20150814/033738.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}{{Cite web |date=2017-10-01 |title=奥飞动漫联姻“有妖气”---深圳商报多媒体数字报刊平台 |trans-title=Alpha Animation Forms Alliance with 'U17' |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171001214034/http://szsb.sznews.com/html/2015-08/19/content_3313064.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} According to official statistics at the time, U17 had over 7.3 million registered users and 8 million active visitors, with an average of 800,000 daily page views. The platform hosted 17,000 resident comic creators and had 40,000 ongoing serialized comics, with over 100 titles considered highly popular.

On November 19, 2021, according to a disclosure by Alpha Group in a Shenzhen Stock Exchange announcement, Bilibili had acquired full ownership of U17 Comics.{{Cite web |date=2021-11-19 |title=哔哩哔哩(BILI.US)全资收购有妖气原创漫画平台 |trans-title=Bilibili (BILI.US) Fully Acquires U17 Original Comics Platform |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119133615/http://stock.10jqka.com.cn/usstock/20211119/c634415735.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

On September 1, 2022, U17 Comics announced that it would shut down on December 31, and that its services would continue on Bilibili Comics in the future.{{Cite web |last=sina_mobile |date=2022-09-01 |title=有妖气漫画将于12月31日正式关停 |trans-title=U17 Comics will officially shut down on December 31 |url=https://news.sina.cn/2022-09-01/detail-imizmscv8678905.d.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=news.sina.cn}}

In 2010, U17 Comics launched a "commenting" feature that allowed readers to leave messages at any point on a comic page.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-04 |title=二次元漫画公司“有妖气”：吐槽就是生产力_创事记_新浪科技_新浪网 |trans-title=ACG Comic Company 'U17': Complaints Are Productivity – Chuangshiji – Sina Tech – Sina.com.cn |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190604120010/http://tech.sina.com.cn/zl/post/detail/2013-01-09/pid_7961541.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}{{Cite web |title=注意有妖气 |trans-title=Attention U17 |url=https://finance.sina.com.cn/leadership/mroll/20150113/173121288617.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=finance.sina.com.cn}} On December 2, 2014, the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China released a blacklist of illegal and non-compliant websites, conducted investigations into top-ranking online comic platforms for violent and pornographic content. Liu Qiang, Deputy Director of the Cultural Market Department, stated: “Users can post comments anywhere within comic content, but there are no restrictions or filters on what they say. As a result, users' language, combined with vulgar imagery, has become increasingly explicit and obscene.”{{Cite web |title=文化部公布违法违规互联网文化活动名单 腾讯百度奇虎皆有涉-中新网 |trans-title=Ministry of Culture Releases List of Illegal and Non-Compliant Online Cultural Activities – Tencent, Baidu, and Qihoo Involved - China News Service |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cj/2014/12-02/6837574.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=www.chinanews.com.cn}}

On August 1, 2013, U17 Comics launched a 15-day beta test of its comic voice acting system,{{Cite web |date=2016-06-01 |title=中国“好声优”？有妖气的再度进击推出漫画配音功能 178动漫频道 |trans-title=China’s ‘Top Voice Actors’? U17 Makes Another Move with New Comic Dubbing Feature |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601163700/http://acg.178.com/201307/168488402774.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} which allowed users to add voiceovers to comics. The purpose of this feature was to enhance the reading experience and discover talented voice actors. Readers could “like” the voiceovers they enjoyed, and those with more likes would rank higher. From its launch in August to September 9, the platform recorded over 100,000 voice clips.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-11 |title=漫画在移动端能玩什么？配音漫画在中国生根_科技_腾讯网 |trans-title=What Can Comics Do on Mobile? Dubbed Comics Take Root in China – Tech – Tencent News |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190611170258/http://tech.qq.com/a/20130909/002045.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

U17 Comics’revenue mainly came from on-site advertisements, game co-publishing, and VIP premium services.

Comics on U17 could be uploaded through the website. The platform operated under an open submission model, where registered users were allowed to publish their original comics. Once a chapter was uploaded and passed review, it would be officially displayed on the U17 website.{{Cite web |date=2021-01-18 |title=如何发表漫画-有妖气原创漫画梦工厂 |trans-title=How to Publish Comics – U17 Original Comic Dream Factory |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118100305/https://www.u17.com/z/help/author_publish.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

U17 signed licensing agreements for comic works rather than exclusive contracts with authors.{{Cite web |title=专访“有妖气”董志凌：专注动漫经营权{{!}}界面新闻 · JMedia |trans-title=Exclusive Interview with U17’s Dong Zhiling: Focusing on Anime IP Management {{!}} Jiemian News |url=https://www.jiemian.com/article/334580.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=www.jiemian.com}} Monthly votes (月票) served as an important source of income for creators. However, even for highly popular works such as One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes , creators reportedly earned only around 3,000 RMB per month from votes. Many professional authors would add a special page at the end of each chapter to request monthly votes.

Signed works were eligible to receive manuscript fees from U17. If a comic was later adapted into other areas such as animation, games, or film, the author could receive additional income from those developments.

To encourage original content creation, U17 organized the Chasing Dreams, Seeking Demons comic competition, in which outstanding new comics could be selected for awards. Prizes for winning creators included cash awards, certificates, trophies, and opportunities to study tour to Japan, along with a potential signing opportunity with U17.{{Cite web |date=2015-08-01 |title=有妖气“追梦寻妖”漫画大赛面向宇宙，无门槛、无限制招募参赛者!!!!!_动漫频道_17173.com中国游戏第一门户站 |trans-title=U17's 'Dream Chasing, Monster Seeking' Comic Contest Opens to the Universe – No Thresholds, No Limits, Everyone Welcome!!!!! – Anime Channel |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150801111100/http://acg.17173.com/news/05182015/162240293.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}{{Cite web |title=有妖气“追梦寻妖”漫画大赛 - 搜狗百科 |trans-title=U17 'Dream Chasing, Monster Seeking' Comic Contest |url=https://baike.sogou.com/v141461438.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=baike.sogou.com}} In 2014, U17 launched the Dream Incentive Program, which introduced more award categories and distributed over 1 million RMB in rewards annually.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=百万奖金悬赏！2014梦想激励计划新福利上线！_国内_漫域_中国动漫综合门户 |trans-title=Million-Yuan Prize! New Benefits Launched for the 2014 Dream Incentive Program! |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304102345/http://news.comicyu.com/2014/11/05/157767.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

U17 implemented an SA-tier comic classification system. Works with over 20,000 favorites and updated within two months were categorized as S-tier, while those with over 5,000 favorites and similarly updated were categorized as A-tier. These comics would be promoted on the homepage in a designated SA-tier section. Unauthorized works were not displayed in this section.{{Cite web |date=2018-05-26 |title=为世界带来爱！有妖气全新V4.0官网夏日激情_国内_漫域_中国动漫综合门户 |trans-title=Bringing Love to the World! U17's Brand New V4.0 Website with Summer Passion |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180526041241/http://news.comicyu.com/2014/06/26/146364.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

Some comics on U17 adopted a VIP chapter system. The latest chapters were "sealed" and marked with a red "V" symbol, making them inaccessible to regular users.{{NoteTag|The latest chapters will be censored with mosaics. Besides subscribing to VIP, users can also recommend comics to others to earn “Seal Breaker Stones” (破印石), which can be used to unlock reading access.}} However, VIP users could read these newest chapters without any restrictions.

Monthly tickets were a privilege exclusive to VIP members. Each VIP user received 13–15 monthly tickets per month (equivalent to 6.5–7.5 RMB){{NoteTag|A U17 VIP membership costs 1,000 U17 Coins per month (equivalent to 10 RMB). The annual VIP membership is offered at a 25% discount, which brings the monthly cost down to 7.5 RMB.}}. Users could vote for their favorite comics with these tickets. For each monthly ticket received, the comic creator earned 0.5 RMB, with a minimum guaranteed income of 100 RMB. Each user could vote up to 3 tickets (1.5 RMB) for the same comic per month. If a user wanted to give more tickets to a creator, they could use additional U17 Coins to do so{{NoteTag|1=U17 Coins are the platform's virtual currency, obtained through RMB top-ups at a rate of 1 RMB = 100 U17 Coins. Readers can spend 1,666 U17 Coins (equivalent to 16.66 RMB) to give an author 3 additional monthly tickets (worth 1.5 RMB) and 3 comic recommendations.}}. Other VIP privileges included: modifying nicknames, increasing the upper limit of attention and bookshelf, personal identification (personal complaints, avatars, etc.), reading comics without ads, adding comic reading mode, paid chapter discounts, etc.

In 2014, U17 launched its mobile gaming business.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-08 |title=有妖气新版动漫游戏平台悄然上线! - 有妖气原创漫画梦工厂 {{!}} U17.COM为您提供最新最快的动漫业界动态 |trans-title=U17’s New Anime & Comic Gaming Platform Quietly Launches! – U17 Original Comic Dream Factory |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608131810/http://www.u17.com/news/3927.html |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}} By the end of the same year, the platform began venturing into animation and film production. U17 produced web animations and generated revenue by embedding advertisements within the animations.{{Cite web |date=2019-06-06 |title=有妖气董志凌：好的动漫IP一定是成长和伴随{{!}}动漫_新浪新闻 |trans-title=U17's Dong Zhiling: A Great Anime IP Must Involve Growth and Companionship {{!}} Anime – Sina News |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190606184706/http://news.sina.com.cn/m/cm/2015-07-08/doc-ifxesfuc3603903.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

At the beginning of 2015, U17 collaborated with other companies to release the film One Hundred Thousand Bad Jokes (十万个冷笑话), which earned 119 million RMB at the box office during the New Year's holiday season.{{Cite web |title=独家专访｜有妖气不董：那顶路飞的帽子 -搜狐财经 |trans-title=Exclusive Interview {{!}} U17’s Bu Dong: That Straw Hat of Luffy – Sohu Finance |url=https://business.sohu.com/20150909/n420704685.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=business.sohu.com}} The animation adaptation of U17’s comic School Shock (雏蜂) was produced in Japan.{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=将国产动漫卖到日本去-经济日报 |trans-title=Selling Chinese Animation to Japan – Economic Daily |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304202437/http://paper.ce.cn/jjrb/html/2015-10/08/content_265181.htm |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=web.archive.org}}

At the 7th China International Film, Television and Animation Copyright Protection and Trade Expo, Alpha Animation announced a partnership with U17 and other major companies to launch the "U Project" for Chinese animation — aiming to develop 20 films, 15 TV series, 15 web series, and 50 games over the next three years. This included works such as {{Interlanguage link|Die Now|lt=Die Now|zh|端脑 (漫画) }} (端脑), {{Interlanguage link|Rakshasa Street|lt=Rakshasa Street|zh|镇魂街}}(镇魂街), and School Shock (雏蜂).{{Cite web |title=奥飞动漫亮相第七届漫博会 启动国漫U计划-中新网 |trans-title=Alpha Animation Debuts at the 7th China International Comics Festival, Launches 'National Comics U Plan' – China News Service |url=https://www.chinanews.com.cn/cul/2015/08-20/7480071.shtml |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=www.chinanews.com.cn}}

• Tencent Animation and Comics
• Shueisha
• Bilibili

Category:Chinese webcomics

Category:Chinese websites

Category:Webcomic publishing companies

Category:Internet properties established in 2006

Category:Internet properties disestablished in 2022

Category:Bilibili