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From Hiro to Hero: Big Hero 6 Censored in South Korea

posted by  banzaitokyo | 7 years, 10 months ago

Academy Award winner of the best-animated feature film in 2015 was Big Hero 6, gaining a lot of fans with its lovable character Baymax, and the fantastic city of SanFransokyo. One country that wasn’t impressed, however, was South Korea. Certain elements in the movie were deemed “too Japanese” and censored. While censorship of media to fit the foreign market is common, these censorship laws are deeply rooted in South Korea’s wartime history.

Postwar Korea and the Censorship of Japanese Media


Following the end of Japan’s annexation of Korea, censorship laws were enacted in South Korea to prevent the import and distribution of media from Japan. On August 15, 1945, South Korea put the Law for Punishing Anti-National Deeds laws into place. These were followed by laws which restricted the broadcast and distribution of records, videos, music, and other media from outside the country. While the laws didn’t name Japan specifically, the intent was primarily aimed at Japanese media. The result was that Koreans had no legal access to Japanese media at all until the 1990s.


The rejection of Japanese popular culture was very strong in South Korea after the war. Thus Japanese media was subject to regulation. Other factors contributed to opposition toward a completely open media market. As far as Japan was concerned, the colonial era problem had not been resolved. Also, there was a lack of competition in South Korea’s cultural industries. And South Korea liked it that way.


The media outlets that formed the backbone of pop culture in post-war Korea were mostly film and television. If foreign production was allowed to compete, it was probable that Korea’s domestic films would lose market power.


Why the Rising Sun Is Considered Offensive


Photo by David Newton

So what was it about Big Hero 6 that the Korean market found so offensive? Any and all imagery associated with the Rising Sun.

The Rising Sun Flag was adopted as the naval ensign and war flag of the Imperial Japanese Navy. And as such, it is strongly associated with Japanese Imperialism in the 20th century. While Japan may still use it as a symbol of tradition and good fortune, in countries such as South Korea, it is a symbol of imperialism, invasion, and war crimes.

Although Disney insisted there was no intention of promoting war imagery in the film, even small and subtle bits of rising sun imagery in the Big Hero 6 trailer did not go unremarked, despite some of the staff, including the character designers, being of Korean heritage.

Photo by Money Today

Big Hero 6 Censored in South Korea


Censorship of this type is not uncommon among imported Japanese anime. In this sense, the changes made to Big Hero 6 aren’t out of the ordinary.


In Sailor Moon, for example, the romantic relationship between Sailor Uranus and Sailor Neptune was not made explicit. In _Pokemon, _certain Japanese cultural aspects were replaced to fit the import market, such as onigiri being switched with sub sandwiches.


But with Big Hero 6, the censorship seems a lot more pointed. Most of the controversy surrounding The Rising Sun imagery surfaced prior to the film’s release. This makes it clear that Disney neutralized the “Japanese-ness” of the story for its Korean audience.


Name Changes


In the Korean version, the protagonist’s name is changed from “Hiro,” a Japanese boy’s name, to “Hero.” Furthermore, Hiro’s brother, Tadashi, is called Teddy. The surname “Hamada” is changed to “Armada.”


Removal of Japanese Characters


Disney also edited out some Japanese words, and kanji characters. For example, in the image below, the Japanese word has been replaced with English.



Photo by Extreme Movie

While these changes are big enough to note, not everything was changed. There are still elements of San Fransokyo that retained its San Francisco-Tokyo hybridity. For example, the Gate Bridge maintains it’s Japanese torii aesthetic.

Possibly the most major change had nothing to do with censorship. The film’s title was changed to _Big Hero _instead of _Big Hero 6. _This was done to ensure that it would be seen as a stand-alone movie, as opposed to a sequel of 5 other movies.

Pop Culture Access to All


In 1998, South Korea saw the beginning of progressive change toward lifting its ban on Japanese popular culture with a five-stage process, with stage four launching in 2004.


The first stage in 1998 saw a complete lift on the ban against manga, as well as a partial liberalization of Japanese films. Granted, these Japanese films were either joint Japan-Korea productions or recipients of prestigious awards. These did not include feature animation. The ban on feature animation was not lifted completely until January 2006, amidst stage four.


1999 freed up more Japanese productions in the film category and gave partial liberalization to popular music performances. All Japanese movies that had received accolades from the three major festivals (Cannes, Venice, and Berlin) or a Grammy win were able to screen without censorship condition. All other films were allowed to screen given that they had no censorship rating (again, with the exception of animated films). The ban on animation continued because of its influence on the country’s youth.


Stage three in 2003 freed all popular music performances as well as more categories of film. Feature animation was finally given some leeway. Productions that had received awards at film festivals were given permission to screen in theaters.


Stage four, enacted in 2004, was the stage of total liberalization. All restrictions were lifted from films (theater screenings), music media, and games. The complete lift of the ban on feature animation provided a grace period in Korea for the market to establish its own animation industry. In summary, this stage freed up the forms of Japanese entertainment that the Korean public would pay to enjoy.


And this is why the censorship of Big Hero 6 _is so interesting. _Big Hero 6 was released after the lifting of the animation ban. It won an Academy Award, one of the highest film honors. Why then, is it still so heavily censored?


Reception of Big Hero [6]


Photo by TFurban

For better or for worse, changes were made to Big Hero 6, allowing it to sell a lot of tickets in South Korean theaters. It held strong in second place during its third week, accounting for 18.9% of sales. This is amidst other big name foreign blockbuster films such as Jupiter Ascending, and Korean period dramatic films. By week three, _Big Hero _had brought in $16.22 million and a viewing number of 2.25 million.

While some members of the South Korean audience may have been able to point out the edits in the film, it’s likely that most were not aware that changes had even been made; which is both the purpose and byproduct of censorship. Those least likely to catch the changes were the youth. Thus, the censorship is consistent with the reasoning behind the long time ban on Japanese animated feature films.

Conclusion


I do think media has the power to transcend cultural feuds. That being said, I think the lack of Japanese-ness in the Korean edition highlights the strengths of the story arc. Even with the existence of anti-Japanese sentiment, people will see a movie because it’s a good story or has a good legacy, much like Disney does. And particularly for a younger demographic, cartoons sell.


While stripping away the “Japanese-ness” of Big Hero 6 does feel extreme, the fact remains that most countries repackage media to fit their market. Japan included. Disney re-titled Big Hero 6 to Baymax _for its Japanese release, and even for a film that has explicit Japanese elements and ties, it was not enough to claim the number one spot as Disney’s largest opening in Japan. _Baymax _opened with $5.3 million at the box office in Japan, which is the second biggest Disney opening behind _Frozen.


Ultimately, the removal of subtle images of the Rising Sun, is inconsequential to the plot. What it does do is function as a veil of ignorance for those who don’t identify the edits, leaving those members of the audience unaware of any Japanese influence, which seems to be consistent with Korea wanting to distinctly market themselves from their competitors since the post-war era. The title change, the name changes, and removal of Japanese characters may have made the movie more relatable to a Korean audience. And the line between editing for market and censoring a culture for sake of tradition and personal history becomes blurred on a line, dependent on subjectivity.


Bonus Wallpapers!


[Desktop – 5120×2880 / 1280×720] ? [Mobile]



[Desktop – 5120×2880 / 1280×720] ? [Mobile]


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