Sgt. Frog

Sgt. Frog
ケロロ軍曹 (Keroro Gunsō)
Genre	Comedy, Science Fiction
Manga
Author	Mine Yoshizaki
Publisher	Kadokawa Shoten
English publisher	Tokyopop
Other publishers: Kana Tokyopop Kadokawa Shoten Elex Media Komputindo Star Comics Norma Editorial Carlsen Comics Siam Inter Comics
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Shōnen Ace Arena Komik
Original run	November 29 1999 – ongoing
Volumes	16
TV anime
Director	Junichi Sato
Studio	Sunrise
Licensor	ADV Films, FUNimation
Network	Animax, TV Tokyo
Other networks: Animax TV3, K3 TéléTOON TVG Cartoon Network TVB Jade antv, Animax Italia 1 ntv7, Animax ABS-CBN, Animax Canal Panda Mighty Media, Chinese Television System Inc., Cartoon Network Tooniverse Cartoon Network, DTV, Canal Extremadura Televisión, Telemadrid, Canal 2 Andalucía TITV, Animax Canal 9
Original run	3 April 2004 – ongoing
Episodes	238
Movies
Keroro Gunso the Super Movie (2006) Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 2: Shinkai no Princess de Arimasu! (2007) Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 3: Keroro vs. Keroro Great Sky Duel (2008) Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 4 (2009)
Anime and Manga Portal

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 present, 15 English manga volumes have been released. ADV has announced they have acquired exclusive rights to an English dub of Sgt. Frog.^[1]. On 4 July 2008, however, it was announced that rights to the English release were transferred to FUNimation Entertainment [1].

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

Plot

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.

Characters

See also: List of Sgt. Frog characters

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 who has deadly accuracy and is exceptionally good at cooking sweet potatoes. He is often frustrated with Keroro's laziness, and is disgruntled to have him as a leader. He is also in love with Natsumi, which is also 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 Dororo 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.

Hinata Family

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.

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 Fuyuki Hinata 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 King 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, Lavie. 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.

Media

Anime

Opening Themes

1. "Kero! and March" (ケロッ！とマーチ, Kero! to Māchi^?, 1-51) by Nobuaki Kakuda & Juri Ihata
2. "National Irresponsible Era" (全国無責任時代, Zenkoku Musekinin Jidai^?, 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♥^?, 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!~^?, 104-129) by Jicho Kacho
5. "You-You-You" (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^?, 155-183) by Ichirō Zaitsu & Yuko Ogura
7. "Fundari Kettari" (フンダリーケッタリー, Fundarī Kettarī^?, 184-205) by Dylan & Catherine
8. "What a Wonderful Saturday" (なんて素敵な土曜日, Nante Suteki na Doyōbi^?, 206-231) by Keroro Platoon (Kumiko Watanabe, Etsuko Kozakura, George Nakata, Takehito Koyasu, and Takeshi Kusao)
9. "Hello Darwin! ~Curiosity On Demand~" (ハローダーウィン！ ～好奇心オンデマンド～, Harō Dāwin! ~Koukishin On Demando~^?, 232-) by JAM Project

Ending Themes

1. "Afro Sergeant" (アフロ軍曹, Afuro Gunsō^?, 1-18, 27-39) by Dance Man
2. "Pekopon Invasion Ondo" (地球（ペコポン）侵略音頭, Pekopon Shinryaku Ondo^?, 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!!^?, 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^?, 52-78) by Naoya Ogawa & Mayuko Iwasa
5. "A Problem of the Heart" (ココロの問題, Kokoro no Mondai^?, 79-103) by toutou
6. "Flower Petals of Victory" (勝利の花びら, Shōri no Hanabira^?, 104-116) by Chinatouchable (Chinatsu Wakatsuki & Untouchable)
7. "Cycling Recycle" (サイクリング リサイクル, Saikuringu Risaikuru^?, 117-141) by Kirin
8. "Forever" (永遠に, Eien ni^?, 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^?, 155-168) by Kigurumi
10. "Smiling Champ" (ニコニコチャンプ, Niko Niko Chanpu^?, 169-192) by Non Style
11. "Kero Cat's Tango" (ケロ猫のタンゴ, Kero Neko no Tango^?, 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 Icchō^?, 206-218) by Keroro Platoon
13. "Our Password" (僕らの合言葉, Bokura no Aikotoba^?, 219-) by Natsumi Kiyoura

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.
• 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).
• 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 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 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.

Episodes

Main article: List of Sgt. Frog episodes

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 (referring to the recurring theme of get-rich-quick schemes in the show). Other such lines include the forthcoming Keroro FIX (based on Hajime Katoki's popular Gundam fix figuration) and Keroro model kits, formally dubbed KeroPla in honor of Keroro's beloved Gunpla, which come in two distinct lines:

• Keroro figure models depicting the Keronians themselves (up to the recent Musha Kero line), which include rotating eyes to depict facial expressions made famous by the anime ('scheming' Keroro and 'trauma switch' Dororo, to name a couple) and special neck joints to allow the user to place the heads on various Gundam kits.
• Keroro mecha models, depicting the Mk. I basic robots, the Mk. II mecha, and recolors of the Mk. I line dubbed the Real Type series, all able to combine into their Great Keron and God Keron forms. The latest line of Keropla mecha depicts the Musha Kero mecha, all with combining abilities of their own.

Spin-offs

Popularity of the series has spawn two popular MMO games in South Korea: Keroro Racing, racing game and Keroro Fighter, a strategy-and-fighting game. Other spin-offs include a manga called "Musha Kero" that has recently been adapted in the anime. ^[4] The series has also spawned a magazine called "Keroro Land" that promotes toys, games, media, and events based on the manga and anime.

International versions

North America

• ADV Films has 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. As of July 4th, 2008, the English license for the anime was transferred to FUNimation Entertainment.

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.

FUNimation released one episode as a test on Youtube to be reviewed by the viewers. Natsumi's name was changed to Natalie and Giroro's cat was renamed "Mr. Furbottom," but the frogs' names remained the same as the Japanese version, though shortened by one syllable (e.g. Keroro changed to Kero, Tamama to Tama). ^[5]

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 aired by Animax since 1 July 2008, and later dubbed in Indonesian broadcast everyday on antv since August 11, 2008,also the manga version has been released up to volume 11 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 due 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(In season 2 his rank is changed back to corporal). The Children's Channel only aired the first season, and finished it then, all first season except episode 30, The second season is currently airing.
• In Malaysia, the series is broadcast since April 27, 2007, dubbed in Bahasa 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. Now broadcast on Animax since July 1, 2008, in English or Japanese.
• In the Philippines, it is dubbed in Tagalog and aired as Sgt. Keroro on ABS-CBN on June 4, 2007. About a year later, it made its return on Animax in English as Sergeant Keroro.
• In South Korea the anime is aired on Tooniverse as 케로로 중사 (Keroro Jungsa). Like in most Japanese anime targeted to younger audiences there, the human Japanese names were changed to Korean-sounding ones. Aliens' names were generally the same (in pronunciation) as the Japanese names.
• In Taiwan, Keroro was broadcast in Mandarin on Cartoon Network and CTS. The names of Keroro and the other Keronians are transcribed in Kunrei-shiki romanization 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.
• In India, the anime has been broadcast on Animax between 6.00-6.30 pm every Mon-Fri under the title " Sergeant keroro" since July 1, 2008, in English.
• In Indonesia, the anime has been broadcasted on Animax with English voices and Indonesian subtitles, and on ANTV with Indonesian voices / in dubbed.
• In China, the anime was shown on Animax dubbed in English.

Europe

• 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 Germany, the anime is aired in German on Cartoon Network via cable.
• In Italy, the anime series was broadcast on Italia 1, beginning September 11, 2006. De arimasu is translated as Signorsì ("Yes, sir").
• In Norway, the anime is aired in Norwegian on Cartoon Network.
• In Poland, the anime is aired in Poland on Cartoon Network via cable.
• 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 Funimation's release (and hence will ether be done by Revolation Films or MVM Entertainment. The manga is published under Tokyopop with no name changes.

References

External links

• Keroro Gunsō website (Japanese)
• Sunrise's Keroro Gunsō website (Japanese)
• TV Tokyo Keroro Gunsō website (Japanese)
• Official Keroro Gunsō Movie Website (Japanese)
• Keroro Gunsō episode guide
• Official Animax India website
• Official Tokyopop Sgt. Frog manga website
• Sgt. Frog (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Keroro Gunso (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia