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Sgt. Frog Facing Tough Times In South Korea Date: 8/7/2006 |
| Sunrise's popular animation Sgt. Frog (Kuroro Gunso) has faced some criticism in South Korea recently, being equated to glorifying the WWII era empire and militaristic imperialist Japan. Telecast of the series begun on cable TV there last September. Although aimed at kids, Frog enjoys wide popularity among adults spawing manga, toys and even a theatrical musical. Keroro's (and the Keronians') hat featuring a red star has been compared to similar caps worn by Japanese soldiers in WWII. Also the opening song of the second story arc of the series was said to display "Kyokujitsu-ki" (Japanese War Banner). The main crticisim has come from Korean netizens and bloggers who have even gone to the lengths of seeking petitions signatures to have Kororo removed from TV. Most Koreans agree that this is an overreaction, however. This isn't the first time that anime has faced negative reaction in Korea though. In April 2005, the opening of Studio Ghibli's 'Grave of the Fireflies' was canceled there. The third work of studio Ghibli is the story of 14-year old boy who lost his parents and younger sister in World War II. The cancellation was reportedly related an anti-Japanese sentiment fueled by a net-led campaign. |
| Source: Anime News Service |
