Should Manga Simply Not Include a Korean Character at All?

It’s official. Hetalia has been axed.

The five-minute political satire has been canceled before its TV debut. Although the anime version does not feature the Korean character, and the network hasn’t given any particular reason except for “various reasons,” most people cannot help but to assume that the recent uproar from the Korean netizens, which has been featured in Japanese media news, to be the cause of the abrupt cancellation.  Seeing no other clear reason for the cancellation, most people assume the cause to be “to not offend any Korean.” Although anti-Japanese movie, such as Hanbando (released in 2006), had become a hit in Korea before, the “controversy” was introduced in Korean news, referring it as “right-wing manga”, and even in the South Korean Congress, referring the anime as “a criminal act.” http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=yo_btds9-kM&feature=related

This isn’t the first time that such a thing has occurred. The popular shogi manga “Hikaru no Go” has likewise ended abruptly despite the popularity without giving any particular explanation. The manga finished soon after a Korean character, who served as the rival of the main character, made an appearance. The author didn’t give any explanation either, fueling the suspicion among fans. It was also reported that the anime, which had a strong Shinto element, was heavily edited to remove “anything Japanese” when shown in Korean networks, including the Shinto outfit of one of the major character.

Likewise, a famous anime producer Tanaka Masakazu stated in an interview that Inyasha probably won”t be able to be shown in Korea for it included Torii, a gate at the entrance of Shinto shrine.