COOL JAPAN: Doraemon in the USA, for the ACCJ
COOL JAPAN | CARTOON ( ACCJ Journal ) Exporting Doraemon The tricky art of translating Japan’s biggest anime series By Roland Kelts [Photos courtesy of Tokyo Otaku Mode ] In 2008, Japan’s consul general appeared on stage at Sakura-Con, the largest anime festival in the Pacific Northwest, grinning mischievously with his hands behind his back. “Ohayo gozaimasu,” he said to the crowd of 10,000-plus, many of whom roared the greeting back. He turned around, slipped a mask over his head and faced the audience bearing the plastic countenance of a wide-eyed bright blue cat. A few murmurs arose. Someone at the back shouted, “Doraemon!” A week earlier, the robotic cat manga and anime character, Doraemon—a cultural icon in Japan akin to Mickey Mouse in the United States—had been dubbed Japan’s first “anime ambassador” by the foreign minister. But at the time of the consul general’s performance, Doraemon had neither aired nor been published in the United States. Only the most...
