Sgt. Frog
- For the main character of the series, see Keroro
Sgt. Frog, known in Japan as Keroro Gunso (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 after he is captured while trying to hide in one of the family member's bedrooms. 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 irony, breaking of the fourth wall, and numerous pop culture references (especially to Gundam, Kamen Rider, Space Battleship Yamato, Dragon Ball, and Neon Genesis Evangelion and many others).[2] 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. The anime does not explicitly refer to Evangelion or other animations to which Bandai does not hold the copyrights, but only recreates the "feel" of famous scenes from these anime. The anime is much more detailed and direct in its Gundam references, however, since Bandai does hold rights to the Gundam franchise.
Plot
Both the manga and the anime focus on the steadily deteriorating conditions of the Keroro Platoon, a group of five two feet-tall, frog-like aliens from Planet Keron of the Gamma Planetary System. The platoon’s mission is to invade and conquer Earth (known to the aliens as “Pekopon”), but fail miserably at each attempt. Sergeant Keroro, the leader of the platoon, is easily distracted, and would rather spend his time making plastic Gundam models than invade Earth. Aside from Keroro, there are four other members of the Keroro Platoon: innocent yet violent Private Second Class Tamama; bellicose and serious but caring Coporal Giroro; intelligent but troublemaking Sergeant Major Kururu; and stealthy but melancholic Lance Coporal Dororo.
The largest obstacle in the way of their mission is the Hinata Family, whom must take care of the Keroro Platoon due to the Keron Army deserting the latter on Earth. Keroro is kept busy with manual labour and constant abuse, primarily from the family daughter Natsumi. The other four members of the platoon also find themselves in the care of a human, who are all tied to the Hinatas in some way throughout the events in the anime and manga.
Production and awards
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, and has been aired on Animax, TV Tokyo, and TXN at 10:00 A.M. until 10:30 A.M. every Saturday since April 2004. In addition, 4 full-length theatrical movies have been released:
- Keroro Gunsō the Super Movie (超劇場版ケロロ軍曹, Chō Gekijō-ban Keroro Gunsō?) (2006)
- Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 2: The Deep Sea Princess (超劇場版ケロロ軍曹2 深海のプリンセスであります!, Chō Gekijō-ban Keroro Gunsō 2: Shinkai no Purinsesu de arimasu!?) (2007)
- Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 3: Keroro vs. Keroro Great Sky Duel (超劇場版ケロロ軍曹3 ケロロ対ケロロ天空大決戦であります!, Chō Gekijō-ban Keroro Gunsō 3: Keroro tai Keroro, Tenkū Daikessen de arimasu!?) (2008)
- Keroro Gunsō the Super Movie: Crushing Invasion, Dragon Warriors (超劇場版ケロロ軍曹 撃侵ドラゴンウォリアーズであります!, Chō Gekijō-ban Keroro Gunsō: Gekishin Doragon Woriāzu de arimasu!?) (2009)
- Keroro Gunso the Super Movie: Creation! Ultimate Keroro, Wonder Space-Time Island (超劇場版ケロロ軍曹 誕生!究極ケロロ奇跡の時空島であります!!, Chō Gekijō-ban Keroro Gunsō: Tanjou! Kyuukyoku Keroro, Kiseki no Jikuu-jima, de arimasu!!?) (2010)
All five films were directed by Junichi Sato and produced by Sunrise.
At present, 20 English manga volumes have been released by Tokyopop. ADV had previously announced they had acquired exclusive rights to an English dub of Sgt. Frog.[3] However, on July 4, 2008, it was announced that rights to the English release were transferred to Funimation Entertainment.[4]
In 2005, the manga received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for children's manga.[5]
Media
Anime episodes
Manga
The Keroro Gunsou manga began its monthly comedy in the weekly Shounen magazine, Shounen Ace. The series was at first aimed at the older audience (teens/adults) from the first to the seventh Tankōbon. After the anime aired on Japanese TV, the manga was toned down quite a lot, as the TV-series had "all age groups" as the demographic. However, the manga still maintains suggestive comedy that only the more mature audiences understand. The Tokyopop US release of the Keroro manga have censored any nudity, in order to get away from the OT (Older teen) rating and maintaining its Teen rating.
Notable differences between the anime and manga
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 teenagers, the anime is toned down to a level acceptable for children.
- Because Giroro, Kululu, and especially Dororo and Koyuki 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 start of the manga and the anime, Angol Mois' 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 (2009 in the Funimation dub).
- 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. Also the fact that he is the host of the 623 radio show seems to be a secret from Natsumi and other listeners of the show.
- In the manga, Keroro gains access to the Kero Ball early in the plot, but in the anime Fuyuki keeps it. This means that some Kero Ball-centred episodes of the anime did not happen, or found another way to happen, in the manga.
- 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.
- Some of the Sgt. Frog anime episodes are originally not found in the manga.
- In Volume Three of the Manga, in an Extra, Sumomo lives with an unknown girl with a father who exploits Sumomo for his comics just like Aki Hinata, in the Anime version, Sumomo buys a house in Malibu.
- In the beginning of the manga, Fuyuki is a grade schooler in the 6th grade and Natsumi is a 8th grader. In the anime, Fuyuki is already in 7th grade and Natumi is already a 9th grader.
- In the manga, Fuyuki has an occult club in grade school and has a lot of members. When he enters middle school, he joins a manga club to follow his mom, Aki's steps. However in the anime Fuyuki has an occult club in middle school and only has one member which is Momoka.
- In the manga, it never shows the Narrator at all and is sound only. But in the anime, the Narrator makes appearances.
- In the manga, Dororo's rank is Corporal, whereas in the anime Dororo's rank is Lance Corporal instead.
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 Keroro Platoon members themselves (up to the recent Musha Kero line), along with newer characters like Dark Keroro and Lt. Garuru, 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, recolors of the Mk. I line dubbed the Real Type series, and the samurai-themed Musha Kero mecha. The latest Pirate Keroro series consists of vehicles instead, all able to sprout arms or legs for a "mobile armor" form. Each set of five mecha have a combined mecha form (the Pirate line is the only one that combines to form a larger vehicle).
Spin-offs and guest appearances
Other spin-offs include a manga called "Musha Kero" that has recently been adapted in the anime.[6] The series has also spawned a magazine called "Keroro Land" that promotes toys, games, media, and events based on the manga and anime. Sgt. Keroro, Tamama, Giroro, Dororo and Kululu also make cameo appearances in the movie of Kaiketsu Zorori, Keroro and Tamama also have appearances in the OVA of Lucky Star, and Kagami also spends almost all her money on a grip-claw-game trying to get a Keroro doll. The incoming Japanese game Monster Hunter Tri G is to have downloadable costumes of Keroro for the humanoid companions Kayamba and Cha-Cha.
International versions
North America
Production
Tokyopop initially held the English rights to the Sgt. Frog manga until 2011 when the company ceased operations in the United States. By the time their publication ended, they had published 21 volumes. The American license to the manga is now pending.
ADV Films had originally 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."[7] This was followed by a press release from ADV on November 20, 2006, stating that they had licensed all Sgt. Frog properties (except the manga, which was already licensed by Tokyopop) for the US.[3] It was once confirmed that the anime dub would be released on DVD in the United States in February 2007. However, ADV Films had never confirmed a release date.[8] ADV announced at Comic-Con International 2007 that the US release date had 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 released by ADV, with voices for Keroro (said to be voiced by Vic Mignogna[9]), Natsumi, Fuyuki, Aki, and the narrator. However, as of July 4, 2008, the English license for the first 51 episodes of the Sgt. Frog anime was transferred to Funimation Entertainment through a deal with Sojitz.[4]
Funimation released one episode as a test on YouTube to be reviewed by the viewers.[10] Many instances of regional name changes were observed; Natsumi is renamed Natalie, and Giroro's cat was renamed "Mr. Furbottom," (despite being female). Additionally, the word Pekopon was changed to Planet Wuss, Pekoponians were referred to as Wussians, and Keron changed to Frogulon. The frogs' names remained the same as the Japanese version, though shortened by one syllable (e.g. Keroro changed to Kero, Tamama to Tama).[11] The test episode had mixed reviews by fans involving the voice acting, jokes, and name changes.
At Otakon 2009, the first five episodes of Sgt. Frog were screened, where the original versions of the various names that were changed were used. The voice actor for Sergeant Keroro in the test video, Chris Cason, was swapped out for Sergeant Major Kululu's test actor, Todd Haberkorn. Kululu was changed to Chuck Huber, and the narrator also appears to have been changed. FUNimation stated at their panel that they were going to keep the anime as similar as possible to its Japanese counterpart, and claimed to only change references from Japanese pop culture (save for those Americans were already familiar with) to references from American pop culture. Those present at the showing seemed to enjoy the changes, and the reception of the official dub was very positive.
On February 19, 2011, Funimation announced at Katsucon that they had licensed more episodes of Sgt. Frog.[12]
Distribution
On July 31, 2009, Funimation added the first 4 dubbed episodes of the series to their online video portal. After a considerable delay following between the release of the first dubbed episodes, Funimation began making dubbed episodes other than the first 4 available on the portal. Currently, the first 51 subtitled episodes are available on the Funimation video portal and Hulu. The 51 dubbed episodes later expired, although they were all later placed back on the portal and on Hulu.[13] The show is rated TV-PG on the DVDs and on Hulu. Unlike the other versions released outside Japan, the US version remains uncut.
The episode distribution scheme has been slightly changed from the Japanese Region 2 release. Although the first 51 episodes are known as "Season 1" in Japan,[14] Funimation has divided the episodes into a "Season 1" and a "Season 2". The Season 1 Part 1 DVD set was released September 22, 2009. It contains episodes 1 through 13,[15] Season 1 Part 2 was released on November 24, 2009, and contains episodes 14 through 26.[16] Season 2 Part 1 was released on January 26, 2010, containing episodes 27-39.[17] In addition, Season 2 Part 2 was released on March 30, 2010 containing episodes 40-51.[18] The first two boxsets were re-released into one Season 1 set on March 29, 2011.[19] The complete Season 2 set followed up on April 26, 2011.[20]
Season 3 was released to DVD by Funimation beginning on July 26, 2011, containing episodes 52-65.[21] Season 3 Part 2 was released to DVD on August 16, 2011 containing episodes 66-78.[22]
All three seasons are available on Netflix streaming as of December 2011.[23]
Asia
- The English version of Sgt. Frog by Animax, entitled "Sergeant Keroro", has been broadcast in India (July 1, 2008), Indonesia (July 1, 2008), Malaysia (July 1, 2008), the Philippines (July 1, 2008) and China. The only noticeable difference between this version and the original Japanese version is that "De Arimasu" is translated as "Sir, yes sir!" (which is also used in Funimation's subtitled version), Natsumi refers to Keroro as "Reptile" instead of "Stupid Frog" and Mois refers to Keroro as "Cousin" rather than "Uncle".
- 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 (mentioned later) were only applied in the TVB dub.
- In Indonesia, it was licensed and dubbed in Indonesian broadcast everyday on antv since August 11, 2008, named simply "Keroro". Only the first season was aired, but was shown in its entirety. In Indonesia, The manga has been licensed and released up to volume 15 by Elex Media Komputindo, under the title "Sersan Keroro".
- In Israel, the anime recently began airing on the "Arutz HaYeladim". "De Arimasu" is translated as "iim kol hakavod" which means "with all due respect". The names were changed slightly - Keroro was renamed "Kerero", and his rank was changed to Captain (resulting in the show being renamed "Captain Kerero"), while Giroro's rank was changed to Sergeant (although in season 2 his rank was changed back to corporal). Also, Natsumi calls Keroro a stupid toad instead of a stupid frog. The Children's Channel aired the first season in its entirety, with the exception of episode 30. The second season is currently airing.
- 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. The series is aired since July 2008,dubbed in English with Malay subtitles on Animax, known simply as "Sergeant Keroro".
- 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 as 케로로 중사 (Keroro Gunsou). As with 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, literally "Is also").
- 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 Lingo (เคโรโระ ขบวนการอ๊บอ๊บป่วนโลก). The manga is published by Siam Inter Comics under the same title.
- In Middle East, the anime recently began airing on Spacetoon. The names had a slight change, example: Keroro became Kero; Dororo became Doro etc.
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"), which translates as "With your/my respect". In the manga, published by Kana, the names are the same as the Japanese version.
- In Italy, the anime series was broadcast on Italia 1, beginning September 11, 2006 under the title Keroro. "De arimasu" is translated as "Signorsì" ("Yes, sir"), Mois called Keroro "Sir Keroro" in anime and "Mio signore!" ("My lord") in manga (edit by Star Comics) and only in anime "Stupid frog" was adapted in "Brutto Ranocchio!" ("Ugly frog!")
- In Spain, the anime is aired in Spanish on Cartoon Network, starting on November 6, 2006 under the title Sargento Keroro. Other Spanish channels also emit the show, such as Canal Sur 2, Canal Extremadura Televisión, Telemadrid, Aragón TV, etc. In Catalonia, the anime is also aired in Catalan on public broadcaster TV3; and in Galician on public broadcaster TVG in Galicia. "De arimasu" is translated as "¡A la orden!" ("By your command") in the Spanish version and as "A formar!" ("Fall in!", in the military sense) in the Catalan version. The manga is published by Norma Editorial under the title Keroro.[24] There are no name changes in either the manga or the anime.
- In Portugal, the anime is aired in Spanish and subtitled in Portuguese on Panda Biggs.
- In the United Kingdom manga is published under Tokyopop. The release of the anime is tied with Funimation's release.
References
- ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-08/keroro-gunso/sgt-frog-tv-anime-ending-in-march
- ^ "The aforementioned Gundam nods appear often, which comes easy since both series are produced by renowned studio Sunrise. Yet that does not stop the show from humorously referencing other anime like Cobra and Neon Genesis Evangelion. U.S. publisher Funimation takes it a step further in the English dub with a barrage of pop culture nods from Wheel of Fortune to Robotech to Lord of the Rings." http://blogs.starbulletin.com/otakuohana/?p=474 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
- ^ a b "ADV Acquires SGT. Frog". AnimeNewsNetwork. November 20, 2006. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/press-release/2006-11-20/adv-acquires-sgt-frog. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ a b "Funimation Picks Up Over 30 Former AD Vision Titles". AnimeNewsNetwork. July 4, 2008. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-07-04/funimation-picks-up-over-30-former-ad-vision-titles. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ "小学館漫画賞: 歴代受賞者" (in Japanese). Shogakukan. http://comics.shogakukan.co.jp/mangasho/rist.html. Retrieved August 19, 2007.
- ^ "Musha Kero Volume One: Legendary Hero, De gozasoro!". Keroro Gunsou. No. 211, season 5.
- ^ "SGT Frog Invades ADVFilms.com". AnimeNewsNetwork. November 15, 2006. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-11-15/sgt-frog-invades-advfilms.com. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ "ADV Films Officially Announces Sgt. Frog, No February Release". AnimeNewsNetwork. November 20, 2006. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2006-11-20/adv-films-officially-announces-sgt-frog-no-february-release. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ http://wha-chow.podomatic.com/entry/2010-09-15T19_46_18-07_00
- ^ "FUNimation Posts Test Episode of Sgt. Frog". Animation Magazine. November 4, 2008. http://www.animationmagazine.net/article/9162. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ "Sgt. Frog - TEST EPISODE - For Review". Funimation. YouTube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQ5mQPVQmZ8. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-02-19/funimation-adds-3rd-sgt-frog-anime-season
- ^ http://www.hulu.com/sgt-frog
- ^ "Keroro Gunsou: 1st season DVD-BOX (limited edition)". Amazon Japan. http://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B00193ZWSW. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ "Sgt. Frog: Season 1, Part 1". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002FOQXVO/. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ "Sgt. Frog: Season One, Part 2". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002MXZYGI/. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ^ "Sgt. Frog: Season 2, Part 1". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B002UOMGYC/. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ "Sgt. Frog: Season 2, Part 2 (2010)". Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0030ZOYVI/. Retrieved 5 March 2010.
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0049TC8DA
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B004GZZH9O
- ^ http://www.rightstuf.com/cgi-bin/catalogmgr/UKW3A16LAfT9ZpuVuc/browse/item/91395/4/0/0
- ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0050UEVOQ
- ^ http://www.netflix.com/Movie/Sgt.-Frog-Season-1-Part-1/70123840
- ^ Norma Editorial: Catálogo: Keroro
External links