Jinan’s Retail Revolution: Uncovering Hidden Gems in the ‘Second Dimension’ and the Rise of the ‘Grain-Eating’ Phenomenon
2024: The Year of “Eating Grain” and Breaking Down Dimensional Walls
2024 is the year of ”eating grain” and the year when the dimensional wall disappears. ”Eating grain” refers to the act of buying grain, which is a transliteration of the English word ”Goods” and refers to badges, standees, and other peripheral derivative products with two-dimensional IP attributes.
The two-dimensional economy is hot, with more and more places holding comic exhibitions, and two-dimensional formats gradually appearing in shopping malls. The charm of animation is fermenting among young people, breaking through the two-dimensional wall and forming a number of new cultural circles such as the “grain circle”.
Industry analysts say that “eating millet” is the emotional sustenance of young people and also represents their urgent need for social interaction. Against the background of the increasing popularity of the second dimension culture, the cultural integration behind “eating millet” also puts forward higher requirements for the current youth education.
The High Price of “Grain” Products
A small piece of iron named “Haikyuu!! (anime IP) Nishitani Yujw Shan” was sold for more than 70,000 yuan on a second-hand trading platform. This shocked many people and pushed ”Valley Circle” to the top of the hot search.
The small iron piece is called a Baji, which is a tinplate badge printed with the image of anime IP and belongs to the category of “grain” products. Different grains have formed a unique pricing system based on quality, number of issues, character IP, etc.
The Cultural Significance of “Eating Grain”
“Eating grain” has become a bridge between the second dimension and the third dimension. In some comic exhibitions or animation stores, you can often see many cosplayers eating grain. The products they consume are mostly the characters they cosplay, which also breaks the interpretation of grain as a simple anime peripheral and becomes more like a cultural penetration.
Young people use the form of ”stamp collecting” to show their love for the characters in the works on the one hand, and on the other hand, to visualize this passion, show and communicate in a physical form, and slowly form a circle to attract more people to join.
The Rise of Millet Specialty Stores
Many millet specialty stores have emerged in recent years. Some urban business districts have created special millet-eating areas overnight, and some brand chains have gradually entered shopping malls.
According to the statistical data analysis of the “2024-2029 China Two-Dimensional Economy Industry Market Competition Pattern and Development Prospects Forecast Report”, my country’s “pan-two-dimensional” user base is extremely broad, reaching about 460 million people in 2021.
The Impact of ACG Culture on Young People
Why is the ACG culture so popular among young people? As a form of cultural output, animation works can bring spiritual satisfaction to readers through content creation and rendering.
An excellent animation work can often penetrate the barriers of the dimension, play a positive role in the real world, and continue to influence generations. The work “Slam Dunk” created by Japanese cartoonist Takehiko Inoue is a good example.
The Importance of Cultural Integration
Young people’s preference for animation IP is actually a reflection of their increasing need for emotional sustenance, and also reflects their increasingly urgent need for social interaction.
As a link between reality and virtuality, millet allows consumers to find their own spiritual sustenance and aesthetic needs, and achieve emotional catharsis. However, eating grains nowadays has also spawned chaos such as consumption comparison and difficulty in protecting rights.
Industry insiders believe that society needs to pay more attention to things that are popular among young people. Rather than stopping them in a one-size-fits-all manner, we should actively guide and reasonably intervene to help them grasp the scale.
In terms of family education, we should take the initiative to understand, appreciate and even participate in the things that children are passionate about, establish common topics with them, and then guide them to correctly discover and appreciate beauty and establish a correct consumption concept.
In terms of social education, while paying attention to comprehensiveness, openness and fairness, we must respect personalized expression and seek benefits and avoid harm. In addition, facing up to cultural integration is also more conducive to the formation of cultural confidence.
