Sgt. Frog

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"Keroro" redirects here. For the main character of this series, see Keroro (character).
Sgt. Frog
ケロロ軍曹
(Keroro Gunsō)
Genre Comedy, Science Fiction
Manga
Author Mine Yoshizaki
Publisher Flag of Japan Kadokawa Shoten
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Flag of Japan Shōnen Ace
Flag of Malaysia Arena Komik
Flag of Indonesia Elex Media Komputindo
Original run November 29, 1999 – ongoing
Volumes 16+ (ongoing)
TV anime
Director Junichi Sato
Studio Sunrise
Network Flag of Japan Animax, TV Tokyo
Original run 3 April 2004 – ongoing
Episodes 214
Movies

Sgt. Frog (ケロロ軍曹 Keroro Gunsō?, Sergeant Keroro) is a manga series by Mine Yoshizaki. It was later serialized into a TV anime series directed by Junichi Sato. Both the anime and manga are comedies that follow the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to conquer Earth. Sergeant Keroro, the titular character, is the leader of the platoon, but is at the mercy of a human family of three. In both the manga and anime, Keroro is forced to do meaningless chores and errands for the family after his army abandons his platoon on Earth.

The series takes its comedy from a combination of wordplay (particularly puns and homophones), physical humor, situational humor, and numerous pop culture references (especially to Gundam, Space Battleship Yamato and Neon Genesis Evangelion). Various anime, games, manga, and other aspects of pop culture are parodied/referenced throughout the series as a bonus to older viewers. Both the manga and the anime are laden with pop-culture references, and even in the same story the references often vary wildly. In particular, the anime does not explicitly refer to Evangelion and other animations to which Bandai does not hold the copyrights, and only recreates the "feel" of famous scenes from other anime. The anime is instead much more detailed and direct in its Gundam references, since Bandai does hold rights to the Gundam franchise.

Sgt. Frog is published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Shōnen Ace, and published in English by Tokyopop. The anime is produced by Sunrise, has aired on Animax, TV Tokyo, and TXN at 10:00 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. every Saturday since April 2004. In addition, 3 full-length theatrical movies have been released: Keroro Gunso, the Super Movie, 2006; Keroro Gunso 2, The Deep Sea Princess, 2007; and Keroro Gunso 3, Keroro vs. Keroro, 2008. All 3 films were directed by Junichi Sato and produced by Sunrise. At the present, only 14 English manga volumes have been released, with the 15th being available on 13 May 2008. ADV has announced they have acquired exclusive rights to the English dub of Sgt. Frog. [1] Current status of the ADV English dub release is unknown.

In 2005, the manga received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga.[2]

Contents

[edit] Characters and plot

In episode 125, Kururu locked down the Hinata house with gates logoed Kero Star, resembling the logo of NERV in Neon Genesis Evangelion
In episode 125, Kururu locked down the Hinata house with gates logoed Kero Star, resembling the logo of NERV in Neon Genesis Evangelion

Both the manga and the anime focus on the steadily deteriorating conditions of the Keroro Platoon, a group of two-foot-tall frog-like invaders from the planet Keron, who try to conquer the world, but fail miserably. The platoon's leader, Sergeant Keroro, is easily distracted, and would rather spend his time making plastic Gundam models and surfing the Internet than destroying Earth, much to the chagrin of the bellicose corporal, Giroro. Aside from Keroro's laziness, what most stands in the way of their mission is the Hinata Family, a trio of rather benign humans who keep Keroro busy with ridiculous demands and constant abuse, primarily from the family daughter Natsumi.

[edit] Keroro Platoon

Main article: Keroro Platoon

Sergeant Keroro is the manipulative anti-hero and title character, who spends most of his time making Gundam models and doing chores for the Hinata Family. He and the platoon were sent to Earth to conquer it and put Keroro's face on every piece of merchandise they could find. Despite being the leader of his platoon, he does little to help and lets his subordinates do all the work. Serving Keroro without question is Private Second Class Tamama, who loves him and is portrayed as very cute, but is extremely sensitive to the point where he reverts to a violent berserker at the single buzz of a fly. He is also jealous of anyone who gets near the Sergeant. Perhaps the only sane individual in the platoon is Corporal Giroro, the group's gunman with deadly accuracy, and exceptionally good at cooking sweet potatoes. He is often frustrated with Keroro's laziness, and is disgruntled to have him as a leader. He also is in love with Natsumi, which too is starting to get in the way of the invasion. The platoon's intelligence officer[3] and inventor, Sergeant Major Kururu, is gloomy, insidious, unpopular, and disliked by everyone, who see him as a depressing jerk. He makes most of the platoon's inventions and in spite of his malevolent nature, none of his inventions have any permanent effect. The fifth and final member is Lance Corporal Dororo, who fancies himself a ninja, and has known Keroro and Giroro since their childhood. Despite hailing from a rich family, Keroro often uses him as a meat shield, but Dororo still follows Keroro's insane orders without question. Due to these childhood abuses, Dororo falls into a deep but temporary state of depression (this is often called his "trauma switch.") whenever he is reminded of something bad Keroro did to him in his childhood. He is often overlooked by the others, also triggering his depression.

[edit] Hinata Family

Main article: Keroro Platoon#Allies (Human)

Opposing and controlling the Keroro Platoon is the surprisingly normal Hinata Family. The son of the family is Fuyuki Hinata, who is obsessed with all things paranormal and supernatural. The daughter is Natsumi Hinata, the gifted one and the main voice of reason. The mother, Aki Hinata, is a manga editor who takes a liking to Keroro due to him becoming an inspiration for her new manga.

[edit] Other characters

In addition to the main cast, Sgt. Frog features a wide array of secondary characters, including the wealthy Momoka Nishizawa and her butler Paul Moriyama. They are friends of the Hinata Family, and Tamama lives with them. Momoka secretly admires the Hinata boy and tries all kinds of ways to make him fall in love with her. Other human friends include the radio show host Mutsumi Hojo and the female ninja Koyuki Azumaya. A friend of the Keroro Platoon is Angol Mois, the Lord of Terror, who was sent to Earth to destroy it, but is now forced to protect it for Keroro. Other humanoid aliens include the space detective Kogoro and his sister, Rabbie. Sumomo is a recurring character in the anime, where she is a highly popular singer, while in the manga she only appears in a bonus chapter. And late to arrive is Alisa SouthernCross and Pururu.

[edit] Anime

[edit] Opening Themes

  1. "Kero! and March" (ケロッ！とマーチ Kero! to Māchi?, Ep. 1-51) by Nobuaki Kakuda & Juri Ihata
  2. "National Irresponsible Era" (全国無責任時代 Zenkoku Musekinin Jidai?, Ep. 52-78) by GaGaGa SP
  3. "I Want to Buy You Some Juice" (君にジュースを買ってあげる♥ Kimi ni Jūsu o Katte Ageru♥?, Ep. 79-103) by Group Tamashi
  4. "Sunny Path ~I Don't See Any Aliens!~" (晴れる道 ～宇宙人（オメェら）に合わせる顔がねぇ!～ Hareru Michi ~Omera ni Awaseru Kao ga Nee!~?, Ep. 104-129) by Jicho Kacho
  5. "You-You-You" (Ep. 130-154) by Polysics
  6. "Return of the Kero! and March" (帰ってきたケロッ！とマーチ Kaettekita Kero! to Māchi?, Ep. 155-183) by Ichirō Zaitsu & Yuko Ogura
  7. "Fundari Kettari" (フンダリーケッタリー Fundarī Kettarī?, Ep. 184-205) by Dylan & Catherine
  8. "What a Wonderful Saturday" (なんて素敵な土曜日 Nante Suteki na Doyoubi?, 206-) by Keroro Platoon (Kumiko Watanabe, Etsuko Kozakura, George Nakata, Takehito Koyasu, and Takeshi Kusao)

[edit] Ending Themes

  1. "Afro Sergeant" (アフロ軍曹 Afuro Gunsō?, Ep. 1-18, 27-39) by Dance Man
  2. "Pekopon Invasion Ondo" (地球（ペコポン）侵略音頭 Pekopon Shinryaku Ondo?, Ep. 19-26) by Ondo Gal meets Keroro Platoon
  3. "Keroro Platoon Authorized! Passionate Learn to Draw Song!!" (ケロロ小隊公認！熱烈歓迎的えかきうた!! Keroro-shōtai Kōnin! Netsuretsu Kangeiteki Ekaki Uta!!?, Ep. 40-51) by Keroro All Stars
  4. "An Invader in My Own Way" (勝手に侵略者（シンリャクシャ） Katte ni Shinryakusha?, Ep. 52-78) by Naoya Ogawa & Mayuko Iwasa
  5. "A Problem of the Heart" (ココロの問題 Kokoro no Mondai?, Ep. 79-103) by toutou
  6. "Flower Petals of Victory" (勝利の花びら Shōri no Hanabira?, Ep. 104-116) by Chinatouchable (Chinatsu Wakatsuki & Untouchable)
  7. "Cycling Recycle" (サイクリング リサイクル Saikuringu Risaikuru?, Ep. 117-141) by Kirin
  8. "Eternally" (永遠に Eien ni?, Ep. 142-154) by Afromania
  9. "Spinning, Turning, Once Around" (くるっと・まわって・いっかいてん Kurutto, Mawatte, Ikkaiten?, Ep. 155-168) by Kigurumi
  10. "Smiling Champ" (ニコニコチャンプ Niko Niko Chanpu?, Ep. 169-192) by Non Style
  11. "Kero Cat's Tango" (ケロ猫のタンゴ Kero Neko no Tango?, Ep. 193-205) by Osamu Minagawa & Hibari Children Chorus
  12. "Here's the Earth for You!" (おまたせ地球（ペコポン）一丁! Omatase Pekopon Icchou?, 206-) by Keroro Platoon

[edit] Notable differences

The transfer from manga to anime is somewhat uneven, as some episodes strongly resemble the manga while others only borrow the basic story or even use it only as a starting point.

  • Perhaps the most subtle difference is that in the manga, Earth is referred to as "Pokopen", whereas in the anime, it is "Pekopon". "Pokopen" is a derogatory word Japanese used to describe China during the Sino-Japanese Wars, and has since been banned from TV programs by the mass communications authority in Japan.
  • Whereas the manga is somewhat oriented towards teens, the anime is toned down to a level acceptable for children. For example, in the manga, when Natsumi is wearing Aki's bikini and reverts from an adult, her bikini does not, to her great embarrassment. In the anime, her bikini shrinks with her. The bigger example is the number of panty shots in the manga whereas in the anime, there aren't any.
  • Keroro possesses the Kero Ball in the manga, but Fuyuki has it in the anime.
  • Because Giroro, Kururu, and especially Dororo are introduced in the anime much earlier than in the manga, several storylines not featuring them at all were modified to include them.
  • Because of the time difference between the Manga's start and the Anime's Start, Angol Mois's backstory is somewhat modified. Everything up to the point of Mois telling Nostradamus about her destroying the earth was true but she ended up being five years too late (2004 instead of 1999).
  • In the manga version, Tamama can travel using dimensional fissures.
  • Mutsumi (623) still has his radio show in the anime, but he is a student in Natsumi's class instead of a high school dropout, and his last name is Saburō (326) rather than Hojo.
  • In the manga chapter LXXVI, Keroro plays a Game Boy Advance SP on Fuyuki's bed, while in the anime Keroro plays a Nintendo DS.
  • In the anime Sumomo is a hit intergalactic popstar who appears in several episodes, while in the manga she is a female 'Ahotoran' who appears in a bonus issue.
  • Dororo has a trauma meter in the anime that appears frequently while in the manga there isn't one.
  • In the anime, Natsumi has more liking to Mutsumi (623). In the manga, She just shows a interest.
  • Dororo and Koyuki live in a house next to the Hinata's in the manga whereas in the anime they live in the woods near Momoka's estate and can see the Nishizawa tower from their home.
  • Due to the anime being much farther ahead than the manga, several episodes have been added that are not in the manga.

[edit] Episodes

Main article: List of Sgt. Frog episodes

[edit] Merchandising

A signature element of the manga series is its frequent Gundam references, ranging from Keroro's Gunpla obsession to the Keronian military equipment, which is based on those of various Gundam series. As a result, the series was picked up by Bandai, who have supported it with an extensive line of merchandise. For example, Keroro action figures are called "Keroro in Action?!", a play on the long running "Mobile Suit in Action!!" Gundam action figure line. Indeed, the Keroro name on the packaging is even designed to appear to be hastily pasted over the MSiA!! name. Other such lines include the forthcoming Keroro FIX (based on Hajime Katoki's popular Gundam FIX Figuration) and Keroro model kits, which include special neck joints to allow the user to place the heads on various Gundam kits.

[edit] Spin-offs

Popularity of the series has spawn currently two popular MMO games in South Korea: Keroro Racing, racing game involving main characters, similar to Kartrider and/or Mario Kart; and other being Keroro Fighter, a strategy-and-fighting game involving main Keron characters, some what similar to Super Smash Bros and Jump Ultimate Stars.

[edit] International versions

[edit] North America

  • ADV Films in North America added a brief teaser page to their website, announcing their licensing of the anime. The site turned to static before playing a short clip of Keroro dancing to "Afro Gunso," then leaving the message "hacked by the frog." This was followed by a press release by ADV, stating that they have licensed all Sgt. Frog properties (except the manga, which was already licensed) for the US. It was confirmed that the anime dub will be released on DVD in the United States in February of 2007. However, ADV Films have not yet confirmed a release date. ADV announced at Comic-Con International 2007 that the US release date has been delayed because of TV negotiations but would not comment on which networks they were talking to.

In a DVD included with the December issue of Newtype USA was an English-language trailer for Sgt. Frog with voices for Keroro, Natsumi, Fuyuki, Aki, and the narrator. Vic Mignogna has been confirmed as the voice of Keroro in the dub, but other characters' voices have not been confirmed yet.

[edit] Asia

  • In Hong Kong it was initially broadcast by Cable TV, then by TVB. It was dubbed in Cantonese separately by the two stations. The Chinese terms introduced in the Taiwanese version as mentioned above were only applied in the TVB dub.
  • In Indonesia, the anime version of Keroro Gunso is not yet aired, however the manga version has been released up to volume 10 by Elex Media Komputindo, the major publisher in Indonesia.
  • In Israel, the anime recently began airing on the "Children's Channel". "De Arimasu" is translated as "iim kol hakavod" which means "with all the respect". The names changed by a bit but not too badly. Keroro's rank is changed to captain while Giroro's rank is changed to sergeant. The Children's Channel only aired the first season, and finished it then, all first season eps were aired except ep 30 when Taruru came.
  • In Malaysia, the series is broadcast since April 27, 2007, dubbed in Malay on ntv7, known simply as Keroro. There are notable changes in the dubbing of the series. For example, Keroro does not address his human captors with honorifics.
  • In the Philippines, it is dubbed in Tagalog and aired as Sgt. Keroro on ABS-CBN on June 4, 2007.
  • In South Korea the anime is aired on Tooniverse. Like in most Japanese anime targeted to younger audiences there, the Japanese names were changed to Korean-sounding ones: the Hinatas become the Kang family, with Fuyuki, Natsumi and Aki renamed Woo-joo (우주, meaning "outer space"), Han-byeol (한별, meaning "star") and Mina (미나, her maiden surname is Hong). Momoka is called Nara, Koyuki as Seol-hwa (설화, literally "snow flower")and Mutsumi as Sabin (사빈).[citation needed]
  • In Taiwan, Keroro was broadcast in Mandarin on Cartoon Network and CTS. The names of Keroro and the other Keronians are transcribed in Latin rather than into Chinese characters; and "Pekopon" is translated as "the Blue Planet" (Chinese: 藍星; pinyin: lán xīng) while Keroro's signature de arimasu is translated as 是也 (shì yě).
  • In Thailand, the anime is broadcast on TITV's Cartoon Club slot between 9.00-9.30 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays under the title Keroro Khabuankarn ob ob Puan Loke (เคโรโระ ขบวนการอ๊บอ๊บป่วนโลก). The manga is published by Siam Inter Comics under the same title.

[edit] Europe

  • In Italy, the anime series was broadcast on Italia 1, beginning September 11, 2006. De arimasu is translated as Signorsì ("Yes, sir").
  • In France, the anime is aired on Télétoon under the title Keroro, mission Titar. The human characters' names were changed from Japanese to French-sounding: the Hinata family is renamed as Monaté, with Fuyuki, Natsumi and Aki as Artus, April and Anna respectively. Momoka is called Garance Beller, Mutsumi as Mael while Koyuki is Énéa Azuma. De arimasu is translated to Sauf votre respect (or sauf mon respect) -With your/my respect-, in the manga, published by Kana, the names are the same as the Japanese version.
  • In Spain, the anime is aired in Spanish on Cartoon Network via cable. In Catalonia, the anime is also aired in Catalan on public broadcaster TV3; and in Galician on public broadcaster TVG in Galicia.
  • Any news relating to the United Kingdom release of the anime is tied with ADV's release. The manga is published under Tokyopop with no name changes.

[edit] Trivia

  • In Lucky Star , Konata refers to Sgt. Frog often, and says it is her favorite Manga. She is also seen in another episode catching a Keroro plush in a UFO Catcher machine.

[edit] References

  1. ^ ADV Acquires SGT. Frog Anime News NetworK Announcement URL Accessed September 21, 2007.
  2. ^ 小学館漫画賞：歴代受賞者 (Japanese). Shogakukan. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
  3. ^ Giroro: Now we need someone intelligent. .... Keroro: The Keroro Platoon's intelligence officer Sergeant Major Kururu. (Sgt. Frog Episode 9 Part A: Natsumi, Kururu Stepping To the Road of Love) Kururu's official title is posted on the screen as the "Third Communication Officer for the Invasion."

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Sgt. Frog by Mine Yoshizaki
Characters
Keroro Platoon Allies
Shurara · Putata · Mekeke · Giruru · Dokuku · Kagege · Nuii · Gyororo · Robobo · Yukiki
Mahaha · Merara · Megaga · Mekaka
Firuru · Toriri · Saruru · Inunu · Aruru · Mukaka · Golulu
Other aliens
Other beings
Miscellaneous
Media
Episodes · Movie 1 · Movie 2 · Movie 3 · Keroro Land · Kerokero Ace · MeroBato · MeroBato Z · Enshū da Yo! Zenin Shūgō · Enshū da Yo! Zenin Shūgō Part 2 · Gekisō Keronpuri Daisakusen