The anime series adaptation of the manga Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! (Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi) by Kai Ikada premiered in January 2024 and recently raised the ire of South Koreans.
It turns out that the most recent episode of Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! contained a scene that fans of the manga had long been waiting for, where the protagonist Minami Fuyuki reveals that she is leaving Japan to attend a beauty school. Minami reveals this to Tsubasa, the protagonist, when he was about to declare his love for her.
And that’s when the online problems arose, in the original manga, this scene was taken from “Chapter 31.1”, but there Minami makes it very clear that she is going to a school in South Korea.
Why omit the mention of South Korea in the anime adaptation? It is certainly not the first time that something like this has happened and it possibly stems from the historical conflict that exists between these two nations. The conflict between Korean and Japanese nationalists has deep historical and political roots, from the colonization of Korea by the Japanese to Japan’s actions in the Second World War and territorial disputes, without forgetting cultural differences.
It’s not that the animators of Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable! are Japanese nationalists, but possibly the production committee or the project director ordered to omit the mention of South Korea within the story, simply to prevent Japanese nationalists from using it as a reason for criticism. But of course the information immediately became known and attracted comments:
- But of course the mention of South Korea was omitted so as not to offend sensibilities.
- Did they alter history?
- Is this type of modification to the original content permitted?
- As we well know, any mention or inclusion of South Korean material is taboo within the anime.
- Well, I think it can’t be helped, but the context of the girl’s departure from the scene is not understood.
- It seems that studies believe that all otakus hate South Korea, but in reality only the oldest and craziest do so nowadays.
- Are there still people who hate South Korea? Even now in 2024?
The animation is from the studio SILVER LINK It is Blademanagement supervision is Mirai Minato (Masamune-kun’s Revenge, BOFURI: I Don’t Want to Get Hurt, so I’ll Max Out My Defense) who is also responsible for the story, the direction is by Misuzu Hoshino (Laid-Back Camp) and the character design is by Katsuyuki Sato.
Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi (Hokkaido Gals Are Super Adorable!) began publishing in Shonen Jump Plus in September 2019.
Synopsis of Dosanko Gal wa Namara Menkoi
Tsubasa Natsukawa has just moved from Tokyo to Hokkaido in the depths of winter. Unaware of the distance between cities in the country, he gets out of the taxi in the next city to his destination so he can see the surroundings of his home. But he is surprised to learn that the “next town” is three hours away. But he also meets a cute gyaru dosanko (born and raised in Hokkaido) named Minami Fuyuki, who braves the minus-8 degree weather in standard gyaru attire: short skirts and bare legs.
