Doraemon’s 'hooray for Japan’s defeat in WWII' wins hearts of Chinese audience

Some 38 years after Doraemon and Nobita rescued an elephant from getting poisoned to death in a time travel adventure back to Japan during World War II, the remake of the animation this July once again triggered public discussion and won many hearts, especially from Chinese.

Screenshot of movie “The Uncle and the Elephant” [Photo: People's Daily Online]

The latest remake of the 1979 episode “The Uncle and the Elephant” showed Doraemon and Nobita threw their hands in the air and hooray “Japan lost the war,” with a big smile on their faces, after they rescued an elephant at a Japanese zoo from being poisoned to death, out of fear that all animals would be killed that way during the war.

“Do not worry about the war. It is going to end soon,” said the pair in their journey through time. “Japan lost the war,” they cheered.

The animation has since been deemed “anti-Japan,” mainly by right-wing Japanese forces, as some question if it is appropriate and funny to say one’s own country lost a war. Whilst in China, many saw it as a brave and just historical perspective on the war.

Screenshot of movie “The Uncle and the Elephant” [Photo: People's Daily Online]

Many fans said the latest script of the animation is much closer to the original work by Fujiko F. Fujio. The original first appeared in comic books and has gone through several remakes over the years. With each remake, Doraemon and Nobita were depicted as more lively and cheerful when telling the soldier-like man in the episode not to kill the animals.

“This is why we love the animation, because it is true to history and shows its introspection on war and peace,” a Sina Weibo user commented.

On Aug. 15, the day marking the surrender of Japan, a documentary was also released by Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBSHD), stunning Japanese viewers as it disclosed a secret poison gas factory in Ōkunoshima Island that killed about 80,000 Chinese soldiers and civilians during the war.