Lately, fans and creators alike have noticed something odd: whenever someone tags the drama A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality (凡人修仙传) in their Douyin posts—whether it’s the actors themselves or influencers with massive followings—their view counts seem to mysteriously drop. Is the show being suppressed? Or is something else going on?
Let’s take a closer look.
📉 Shadowbanning Was Worse During the Anime Days – Likely Due to Platform Rivalry
Before the live-action drama aired, A Record of a Mortal’s Journey to Immortality existed as an anime series—one produced by Bilibili (B站). And here’s where it gets interesting: Bilibili and Douyin are rival platforms, especially in areas like livestreaming and e-commerce.
It’s like trying to advertise a JD.com product on Taobao—you can imagine the limitations. So, when creators tried to promote a Bilibili anime on Douyin, the platform naturally wasn’t too generous with exposure. As a result, even high-quality posts got barely any visibility.
🎬 The Live-Action Version Helped, But Misflagging Still Happens
Now that the live-action version is airing, Douyin has loosened its grip slightly, allowing more related content to show up in recommendations. However, a new issue has surfaced:
Some posts are still being wrongly flagged by the system as anime-related content and end up facing reduced reach or comment restrictions. That’s the downside of algorithm-based moderation—it’s not always precise, especially when the title and genre are so similar.
🤔 Is It a Platform Issue or Content Problem? Possibly Both
To be fair, not all low-performing posts are due to shadowbanning. Poor video quality, unoptimized captions, or posting at the wrong time can also affect engagement. But when multiple large accounts and even cast members themselves report suspiciously low data, it suggests that platform policy may be playing a role.
✅ Takeaways:
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The anime version faced significant shadowbanning, likely because it was a Bilibili production competing with Douyin.
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The live-action drama sees better visibility, but some posts still get caught in the system’s net.
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For creators, avoiding certain keywords or tweaking captions may help prevent misclassification.
Content is king, but in today’s digital landscape, understanding the platform’s dynamics is just as important as the content itself.
