User Reviews

Oira is a happy frog living an idyllic life in his pond, but unprovoked, dog-like demons fly in from the middle of the sea to start dropping bombs, so he and his friends valiantly triumph in a defensive war against them.

Sanae Yamamoto had been running his own cartooning studio since about 1924, even though he is best known in the United states for his feature GULLIVER'S TRAVELS BEYOND THE MOON. By the time this cartoon came out, Japan had installed a puppet emperor in Manchuria and been fighting in China for five years. At home, of course, it was presented as a gallant defensive war, and the cartoon studios were enlisted in making cartoon versions of the story, like MOMOTARO NO UMIWASHI (in which the legendary Peach-Boy led a force of humans and animals in their attack on Pearl Harbor) and this.

Here in the US, we've banned the cartoons made during the Second World War, showing Japanese as buck-toothed midgets. Is this still available in Japan?

"Oira No Hijoji" is a Japanese cartoon that I found on the website for Japanese Animated Film Classics. Most of the cartoons on the site are enjoyable but several are also rather ugly propaganda films which seek to convince the public that the Japanese are victims of the evil Chinese and are completely justified in 'defending themselves'.

The story begins in Frog Land. All the happy frogs are singing and dancing. Suddenly, airplanes from the Devil Country (actual name given in the cartoon) attack and kill many of the innocent frogs. Korokichi and the other frogs fight back, firing anti-aircraft shells at the Devil Country's planes...thus saving the day.

For the animators to portray the Frog Country (Japan) as innocent victims of the Devil Country (China and/or the USA) is pretty sick stuff. I am a retired history teacher and know that the Japanese killed many millions of Chinese civilians in the 1930s and 40s...all just to get their land. Plus, in addition to all being based on lies, the cartoon itself is violent and NOT something you'd want kids watching! Sad and a film best seen by folks who understand the context for what they are seeing.