Doraemon, the blue earless robotic cat from the future, super popular in most of Asia, is under attack. Sort of. A Chinese newspaper is positing that the cartoon character is nothing more than a tool for Japan to subvert Chinese culture.
Last Friday, the Chengdu Daily News published an editorial about Doraemon. In it, the writer says that one of Japanās best cultural exports is nothing more than a āblue fatty,ā and that the recent wave of exhibitions across China has a āsinister hidden meaning.ā
This isnāt the first time that a Chinese publication has taken issue with a foreign product āsubvertingā the Chinese public, with publications like Peopleās Liberation Daily have taken to criticise US-made movies as American propaganda, for example.
Perhaps one of the weirdest things in the editorial is the writerās definition of culture. The writer explains culture in a way similar to the dictionary definition, āthe arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively,ā but then goes on to say that Japanās history makes Doraemonās cultural significance suspect. The writer then says that everyone should be wary of Doraemon and understand the historical meaning behind it.
āDoraemon is Japanās attempt to weaken Chinaās firm stance on and understanding of history.ā
Most of the claims the writer points out do sorta of make sense, if youāre the paranoid type. Foreign countries have long made comments about the USās dominance of soft power, and Doraemonās success across Asia is definitely soft power at its best.
Chinese netizens, part of the demographic this article was meant to reach, donāt seem amused by this attack on a pillar of their childhood. One netizen even wrote: āthe writer should move to North Korea, itās the actual heavenly kingdom (a sarcastic term for how great China is).ā
As it stands now, Chinese children barely have access to Doraemon. The cartoon isnāt shown on TV in the Chinese mainland. Instead, childrenhavePleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf
ęé½ę„ę„čÆč®ŗļ¼č¦ęåå¦Aę¢¦čč½ę们ēåē¼[Chengdu Daily via Sina.com]
Eric is a Beijing based writer and all around FAT man. You can contact him @[emailĀ protected] or follow him on Twitter @FatAsianTechie
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